


The Fake Boyfriend Theory

by honeyedapricotsunshine



Category: EXO (Band)
Genre: M/M
Language: English
Status: Completed
Published: 2018-03-05
Updated: 2019-01-24
Packaged: 2019-03-27 10:38:48
Rating: Not Rated
Warnings: Creator Chose Not To Use Archive Warnings
Chapters: 9
Words: 26,434
Publisher: archiveofourown.org
Story URL: https://archiveofourown.org/works/13879116
Author URL: https://archiveofourown.org/users/honeyedapricotsunshine/pseuds/honeyedapricotsunshine
Summary: Jongin has a problem. A "too-many-admirers-to-handle" problem. His solution: ask his best friend, Do Kyungsoo, to be his fake boyfriend.





	1. Chapter 1

**Author's Note:**

  * For [honey_peach](https://archiveofourown.org/users/honey_peach/gifts).



There he was. All tanned skin glistening with sweat. Nearly six feet of glory. Pure, chiseled, exquisitely sculpted sex on legs. And looking a little frenzied, flushed and wide eyed, walking so quickly towards Kyungsoo he thought they would crash. But of course Jongin stopped just short of him, pulling Kyungsoo into a tight hug, which, in theory, should’ve been _gross_ because Jongin was sweating buckets at the moment. But it was Jongin, so Kyungsoo didn’t mind.

“Hyung, I have the best idea,” was all Kyungsoo got before Jongin whisked him off across the campus.

Once they’d settled in Kyungsoo’s room, Jongin starfished on Kyungsoo’s bean bag, Kyungsoo tried to wait, let Jongin speak first, so he sat on the edge of the bed. 

“What idea?” Kyungsoo finally asked. Jongin raised his head to look at Kyungsoo, dropping it back dramatically.

“Gimme a sec, I need to breathe,” so Kyungsoo waited, watching the rise and fall of Jongin’s chest until he no longer sounded like a winded rhino. “Okay, so remember Emily? And-” Jongin prattled off a list of names, all girls from his classes. Kyungsoo had a vague idea of their faces, but he didn’t care enough to remember them well.

“Yeah, what about them? Aside from pestering you?” Kyungsoo asked. Jongin looked a little annoyed, and Kyungsoo gave him a sheepish smile. Right. He was getting to that.

Jongin didn’t need to go on about the details just then. The pestering, Kyungsoo knew, was a problem a few semesters old. These girls were infatuated with Jongin, and as obnoxious about it as they could possibly be. Jongin had gently turned them down at first, but even after he told them (much to Baekhyun’s amusement) that he loved dick up his ass _thank you very much_ they refused to leave him alone.

“I have the perfect idea for getting rid of them, but-” and now it was Jongin’s turn to look sheepish, which Kyungsoo thought very strange, “I need your help.”

“Ah?” Kyungsoo wasn’t sure what else to say. Now Jongin was squirming; Kyungsoo would’ve teased him for it if not for the burning curiosity.

“Ineedyoutobemyfakeboyfriend,” Jongin rushed. A sharp inhalation, and now Kyungsoo was choking on air. Smooth.

“What?” He managed through tears. Jongin looked crestfallen, sweatier, now, even though the AC was hitting him directly. He took a deep, shaky breath.

“I need you to be my fake boyfriend,” he repeated. Oh. So Kyungsoo _hadn’t_ heard him wrong. Well shit.

“Wh-why, exactly?” Kyungsoo asked. Jongin cleared his throat.

“Well, I mean, they seem to doubt that I’m gay, so if I’m necking-”

“What’s necking?”

Jongin froze, hands in mid gesture.

“It’s- it’s making out, hyung,”

“Oh. So why don’t you just say making out?”

“Because it’s another way to say it? That’s not the point-”

“But you don’t make out with your neck,” Kyungsoo mumbled, and Jongin, pausing again, couldn’t help the giggles this time.

“Hyung-”

“Sorry, sorry. I’ll be quiet now. Please continue,” said Kyungsoo.

“Like I was _saying_ , if I’m involved in heavy PDA-”

“P…DA?” 

Jongin hid his face in his hands, dissolving into laughter.

“Don’t laugh at me! What’s PDA?” Kyungsoo squeaked, throwing his sock at Jongin.

“P-public displays of affection- ah! Where are you getting s-so many socks?” Jongin sputtered, sliding off the bean bag, arms raised at the barrage of incoming socks. Kyungsoo realized, belatedly, that they were from his hamper, so he frantically scuttled to pick all of them up again. “Oh, _gross_.” Jongin picked one up, sniffing it before Kyungsoo could stop him.

“Why would you _do_ that, you absolute turd-” but Kyungsoo’s insult was lost in the fit of giggles that overtook them both, his arms buckling so that he landed face first in Jongin’s chest. Jongin’s toned, muscled chest. Which Kyungsoo totally didn’t have a thing for. Right, he should probably move; but Kyungsoo’s attempt to do so actually got him trapped between Jongin’s meaty thighs. Jongin, knowing this, and knowing he had the advantage, pinned Kyungsoo there. Well, fuck.

“Okay- wait- ah- Kyungsoo, stop squirmin- don’tpinchme!!” Jongin wrapped his arms around Kyungsoo and pulled him up, so that Kyungsoo was on his lap. Which was even worse. But of course Jongin’s working out paid off because Kyungsoo couldn’t escape his grip. “Let me finish!” Kyungsoo turned his head a little, eyes widening when he realized Jongin’s lips were less than an inch away.

“Can’t breathe,” Kyungsoo wheezed. It worked; Jongin let go, and Kyungsoo slid back to the floor. He’d be fine; if anything, it was the proximity to Jongin’s gorgeous face that had left Kyungsoo breathless.

“Will you ever let me finish explaining this?” Jongin asked. Kyungsoo shrugged, giggling at the offended look Jongin gave him.

“Okay, yes. Just stop using words I don’t know,” Kyungsoo said with a smile.

“ _So_ , I was saying that if I have a boyfriend, and I make it obvious I have a boyfriend, like kissing and making out and holding hands and sharing clothes and stuff, then they’ll finally back off,” Jongin finished. That wasn’t too complicated. Except- except they would be kissing. Oh.

“Why don’t you-” but Kyungsoo stopped. Jongin waited, poking Kyungsoo’s cheek when the other stayed quiet.

“Why don’t I what?” Jongin asked.

“Why don’t you get an actual boyfriend?” Kyungsoo asked, though it was hardly more than a whisper.

“Because my very problem is that _girls_ like me and not _guys_. You’re the one with men lining up from here to Narnia trying to nut in your ass,” Kyungsoo swore Jongin mumbled that last part with a rather offended tone, but brushed it off. “Besides, I trust you.” That- was strangely moving. Kyungsoo was touched. Still, there was that little voice at the back of his head, a warning voice. He ignored it.

“Okay, but neither of us have dated. The whole public relationship thing is gonna be weird to people,” It was a lame excuse, Kyungsoo knew, but still, he had to try.

“There’s a first for everything,” Jongin said with a shrug. Well, he wasn’t wrong.

“Okay,”

“Okay what?”

“Okay, I’ll do it,” said Kyungsoo. Jongin perked up, pulling Kyungsoo in for a crushing hug. “Ow, okay Jongin- ow!” Jongin pressed a sloppy kiss to Kyungsoo’s cheek, which was gross enough, but then he blew a raspberry, and that sent Kyungsoo into a squirming frenzy. But obviously, Kyungsoo couldn’t squirm free, not until Jongin set him down on the floor, beaming at him. “I take it back.”

“No, you don’t,” Jongin grinned at him, “because you’re the best, cutest, most beautiful and amazing hyung-”

“Shut up,” Kyungsoo grumbled, still rubbing at the cheek Jongin had desecrated with his drool.

 

-

 

“So now we have to tell Baekhyun-hyung and Junmyeon-hyung and Chanyeol-hyung and Sehunnie,” said Jongin.

“Anyone else?” Kyungsoo asked, his voice tinged with sarcasm. Smartass. Jongin pretended to smack him, but pinched Kyungsoo’s cheek instead. That would serve him right for being so damn cute. Kyungsoo wailed at that, smacking Jongin’s knee. Worth it.

“No. Nobody else,” said Jongin.

“Well Jaehwan-”

“Absolutely not,” Jongin cut him off. Fuck Jaehwan and his sleazy attitude, leering over Kyungsoo all the time. No. Let him believe they were actually boyfriends.

“Oh…kay? Not Jaehwan,” Kyungsoo said. He was hyper now, excitement coursing through him. It was a genius plan, really, how hadn’t he thought of it before? He’d get the girls off his back, get the guys off _Kyungsoo’s_ back, AND he’d get to kiss, and snuggle, and hug, and be affectionate with Kyungsoo. Nothing could go wrong. Not even with the massive crush he’d had on Kyungsoo for years. The massive crush that Baekhyun always teased him about.

So Jongin sent them a message in the group chat. The responses were less than encouraging.

**bbh (bad bitch here)**

_BITCH??_

**oh worm**

_and u thought this was a good idea because??_

**bbh (bad bitch here)**

_BIIIIIIITCH_

**that orange fox**

_i’m gonna agree with sehun on this one_

_you always agree with sehun_

**bbh (bad bitch here)**

_BIIIIIIIIIIIIIIIIIIIITCH_

 

“What’d they say?” Kyungsoo tried peeking at Jongin’s screen, and damn if he didn’t look so cute craning his neck like that, eyes wide.

“Nothing useful or interesting,” Jongin grumbled. Kyungsoo rested his cheek against Jongin’s thigh - fuck, _fuck_ he looked so cute - and sighed.

“When would we, uh, start?” he asked. Jongin looked down at him, so tempted to stroke the softness of Kyungsoo’s cheek.

“Tomorrow?” Jongin wanted to squeal at the widening of Kyungsoo’s eyes, but managed to not.

“Oh, sure, I guess,” Kyungsoo chuckled.

“But maybe-” Shit, shit, shit. How was he going to ask this without sounding like a complete pervert. Kyungsoo waited with wide eyes, lips slightly parted. This was _not_ helping.

“Maybe?” Kyungsoo repeated. Despite the AC, Jongin felt himself grow hot, ears red, and his shirt was starting to stick to his back.

“Maybe we could practice,” he said, quite unhelpfully.

“Practice,” Kyungsoo said slowly. “Practice what, exactly?” Jongin gulped, licking his lips.

“Kissing?” His voice cracked. Kyungsoo looked startled, doe-eyed.

“Oh?”

“S-so it’s convincing! Y’know. So they don’t think we’re faking it, that’s all,” Jongin rushed, ending it with an awkward chuckle. Wow, this sounded so much worse than what he’d played over in his head for the past few hours.

“Oh,” then silence. Kyungsoo was just looking at him, in that slightly creepy unblinking way, and Jongin couldn’t tell what he was thinking. He wiped at the sweat on his forehead, fidgeting a little when he realized Kyungsoo was still looking at him. _Fuck_. What if Kyungsoo was thinking of all the ways to end their friendship, to change his name and move across the country and never speak to him again-

Wait. He was leaning forward, getting closer, very close, actually, and Jongin was stiff until Kyungsoo’s soft, plump lips pressed against his.


	2. Chapter 2

One more deep breath. He has to leave soon. Kyungsoo had woken up fifteen minutes earlier, just to give himself enough time to freak the fuck out and still get breakfast. Except now he wasn’t hungry. For the fifth time, he checked his teeth in the mirror (he’d brushed them three times this morning). Then his lips. A tad more lip balm (strawberry flavored, just for Jongin - Kyungsoo preferred mango), though his lips were never chapped (a fact that Baekhyun used against Junmyeon). Hair? Mussed up just perfectly- wait; he moved a lock. Now it was good.

He quickly glanced at his phone. Oh, good. He still had five more minutes to hyperventilate. So he prepared himself for the flood of anxious thoughts, but then his phone vibrated.

**nini (bear emoji)**

_dont bring a sweatur_

Oh? Kyungsoo looked over at the blue hoodie he’d splayed perfectly on top of his backpack. He’d hate to freeze in class, but Jongin surely had his reasons. Maybe another five minutes of freaking out was overkill anyway. He grabbed his bag and walked out.

It was going to be a cool day, and he regretted leaving his sweater. The walk across campus had warmed him up some, but the instant he walked into the building the cool AC made him shiver.

Jongin and Baekhyun were already holding down a booth (the usual hangout spot), breakfast half eaten (no doubt because Jongin and Baekhyun, still hungry after eating their own, had picked at his) on the table.

“Are you trying to make me freez-mm!” Jongin cut him off with a kiss, pulling him into the booth.

“Good morning to you too,” said Jongin, offering Kyungsoo a hoodie. It was one of Jongin’s favorites, the top half a deep orange and the bottom half mustard yellow, but Kyungsoo’s brain had short-circuited from the kiss. The practice from yesterday clearly hadn’t been enough prep. He was sure he vaguely heard Baekhyun snickering, but he was busy trying to figure out how he would survive this. If this kiss, this simple peck on the lips, was enough to clam him up and leave him giddy, he was sure he’d pass out with anything else.

“I think you broke him,” Baekhyun snickered. That was enough to snap him out of it.

“Shut up,” Kyungsoo grumbled, ever so eloquently. He slipped on Jongin’s hoodie. Oh. _That’s_ why it was Jongin’s favorite; it was ridiculously soft and plush. Jongin was definitely never getting it back. A danish hovered in front of him.

“Eat, babe,” said Jongin. _Babe?!_ Kyungsoo blushed, reaching for the danish but Jongin smacked his hand away. Oh. He leaned forward to nibble on the pastry.

“You know what. I’m gonna cancel my Netflix subscription,” Baekhyun announced. Jongin paused in wiping frosting from the corner of Kyungsoo’s mouth. “You guys are entertaining enough.”

“You’re so annoying,” Kyungsoo huffed, his ears burning. Baekhyun wiggled his eyebrows.

“And you’re so obvious,” he replied. They both looked at him. “You’re gonna have to look less like a deer in the headlights every time he kisses you for this to work.” Kyungsoo bit into the danish grumpily.

“He’s kinda right, hyung,” Jongin said in a small voice.

“And _you_ have to stop getting red ears when _you_ kiss _hi_ \- that’s exactly what I’m talking about Jongin! Stop rubbing your ear!” Baekhyun smacked Jongin’s hand away.

“I drmph loo lak a dee,” Kyungsoo said around the mouthful of danish.

“You, uh, had a lil somethin’ in your mouth so I didn’t get that,” said Baekhyun. Kyungsoo gave him a murderous look.

“I _said_ I don’t look like a deer in the headlights,” he snarled, tongue darting out to clean a bit of stray frosting.

“Of course you don’t,” Baekhyun said sweetly, giving them both a dazzling smile. “You’re not cute or cuddly at all.” Stupid Baekhyun and his stupid big mouth. Now Kyungsoo had to prove him wrong. Obviously. Couldn’t just let that cute comment slide. So he grabbed Jongin’s face (gently, of course) and gave him a deep kiss, deeper than the ones from yesterday, until Jongin was sucking on his lower lip. He whimpered softly, and then- shit. They were in the booths, in the arts building. A corner, but still a visible spot. The heat rushed to his neck, so he let go, swallowing hard. Jongin was staring at him, lips still parted, a soft flush in his cheeks and a twinkle in his eyes Kyungsoo had never seen before. Kyungsoo’s cheeks were burning now. Okay, maybe that hadn’t been Kyungsoo’s brightest idea. Baekhyun gave him a knowing smirk.

“You- uh,” Jongin stuttered before leaning forward and- oh. That was Jongin’s tongue on his upper lip. “Frosting,” Jongin said, his ears bright red. Right. Frosting. Kyungsoo had to stop himself from licking the same spot. Baekhyun was watching them over the rim of his cup, the laughter bright in his eyes. Stupid Baekhyun. Kyungsoo hoped he’d choke on the tea.

Thankfully, before Baekhyun could get a word out, Junmyeon arrived. He barely managed a hello before Baekhyun assaulted him with kisses, squeezing himself onto Junmyeon’s lap. Insufferable.

“How’s it going, guys?” Junmyeon finally got to ask.

“Oh, fantastic,” Baekhyun answered.

“He wasn’t asking you, stupid,” Kyungsoo said. In return, he got a balled up napkin in the face. He growled, but Jongin held him back. Baekhyun squeaked, whining when Junmyeon pinched him again, but they both ended up in giggles, slapping each other lightly. Truly insufferable.

“You should finish eating, hyung. You have class soon,” Jongin’s soft voice reminded him. Damn this boy and his sweetness. As if Kyungsoo didn’t have a big enough crush on him already. He finished the danish (which was hard to swallow with a parched throat) and grabbed the water bottle, sliding out of the booth.

 

-

 

The desks groaned and shrieked as the students walked out. Jongin was one of the first to rush out, extricating his long limbs awkwardly out of the cramped desks. Really now, couldn’t college desks at least be a little bit bigger than high school desks? It only made sense. But alas, they were not, so Jongin had to fit himself as best he could into them.

He could feel her presence behind him, knowing that if she caught up he’d be trapped in a never-ending conversation about nothing. It was one of his many “admirers.” He had one for each class, apparently, but this girl, Emily, was the most adamant. And- yes. There was her fried hair in the periphery of his vision. Sometimes he was tempted to buy her some deep conditioner, but she would probably mistake it as interest.

But there was Kyungsoo, the absolute angel, waiting for him outside the classroom, just like he’d asked. In _his_ sweater. The sleeves were far too long (so long, in fact, that Kyungsoo’s hand were completely hidden), and the hem of it reached the middle of Kyungsoo’s thigh. How cute.

“Hey,” Jongin said softly. Kyungsoo jumped, guffawing when he realized it was Jongin.

“Oops,” he said, blushing. Jongin was never going to get tired of this. He leaned down, kissing Kyungsoo, softly at first, but then, when Kyungsoo relaxed in his arms, deeper. But nothing scandalous of course. Not in the hallway. Not yet. He pulled away with a resounding suck on Kyungsoo’s bottom lip. And now Kyungsoo was blushing, his round cheeks pink, and Jongin wanted to squeal. Instead he cupped Kyungsoo’s cheek in his hand and placed a kiss on his nose. With an awkward chuckle Kyungsoo buried his face in Jongin’s neck. So Jongin did the obvious thing: hug Kyungsoo closer and kiss the top of his head.

But the frizzy halo of Emily’s hair was still lurking behind him.

“Oh, hey Jongin,” she waved at him, giving him a pained smile. Kyungsoo peeked at her, his face still mostly buried in Jongin’s neck.

“Hi,” said Jongin. He wished he had Baekhyun or Sehun with him. They knew how to instantly shut down conversations. Even Junmyeon, with a cold look and the sternness he called the “Boss CEO” look (something he learned from his father), could shut anyone down. But Jongin felt too mean.

Seeing that Kyungsoo wasn’t going anywhere (the boy was clinging to Jongin’s chest, bless his heart - it made Jongin’s heart swell to feel Kyungsoo’s smallness against him like that), and that Jongin was also embracing Kyungsoo (and playing with his silky soft hair), she launched into her tale anyway, a mindless rant about some mediocre twitch streamer with ugly boobs who was, she scoffed, probably a dumbass virgin. Jongin didn’t have the heart to tell her that _she_ also had ugly boobs, and ugly hair, and ugly everything, and that Baekhyun (the real gamer of the group) had watched one of her streams out of curiosity and had told them (rather triumphantly) that she sucked. Not to mention that Jongin was also a “dumbass virgin.” She spoke rather animatedly, and at one point put her hand on his arm. He twitched, and he knew Kyungsoo felt it, because Kyungsoo, the absolute cutie, put his hand right over the spot she’d touched, squeezing his arm gently. She also threw her (extremely fried and brittle) hair over her shoulder, smiling brightly at him.

Kyungsoo, oh- Kyungsoo was doing brilliantly. He’d noticed the flirty twinkle in Emily’s eyes and nuzzled Jongin’s neck, before placing a small kiss on Jongin’s adam’s apple. And then another. And another, making his way up Jongin’s neck slowly. And then an open mouthed one at the junction of Jongin’s neck and shoulder. It took all his will to concentrate on the string of words Emily kept babbling; it wasn’t working very well. He sighed, biting his lip. Why _hadn’t_ he come up with this idea sooner? Kyungsoo’s soft lips were so soothing, and- oh, now he felt a little bit of tongue, lapping at his warm skin. Abort! Abort abort! His brain was about to fry (as crispy as Emily’s hair) and the tongue thing was a little too much for school. Just a little though. So he gently squeezed Kyungsoo’s ass. Kyungsoo squeaked, hiding his face in Jongin’s neck again. She seemed to have noticed they weren’t paying attention, and, looking a bit annoyed, was about to launch into another story, but Jongin saw his chance.

“Well, Kyungsoo and I have lots of work to do, so we can catch up another time,” Jongin said with a smile. She looked crestfallen, giving Kyungsoo a dark look, but Kyungsoo ignored her, nuzzling Jongin’s jaw instead. Without waiting for her to reply, Jongin pulled Kyungsoo down the hall, rushing out into the cool, late summer evening.

“That was painful,” Kyungsoo guffawed, covering his face with a sweater sleeve.

“Why do you think I asked you to wait for me outside the room? I didn’t want to suffer this alone,” said Jongin, tweaking Kyungsoo’s nose. Kyungsoo swatted his hand away, frowning. Ugh. Cute. “But dare I say she looked disappointed?”

“I think so,” Kyungsoo gnawed on his bottom lip, leaning into Jongin. So, naturally, Jongin wrapped an arm around him, pulling him close. And then he buried his nose in Kyungsoo’s hair, breathing in the sweet, fresh scent of Kyungsoo’s conditioner.

“Good. So the plan is working,” Jongin decided.

“It’s only the first day,” said Kyungsoo. And for that Jongin was grateful. Just the first day of Kyungsoo’s soft lips against his.

Their walking was slow, given that Jongin refused to let go of Kyungsoo (and Kyungsoo didn’t pull away either, tucked snugly into Jongin’s side). But it was nice, this proximity. Not that they weren’t touchy before; most people assumed they were dating (Jongin had to admit he was always glued to Kyungsoo’s side, and Kyungsoo, despite what most people thought, was equally clingy) because of their constant touching. Yet this was slightly different. And it felt good.

So they made their way to Kyungsoo’s room, taking in the soft, cool breeze, the ripe oranges and pinks of the sky, the unreal, dense fluffiness of the clouds, tinged with the colors of the sunset.

“This feels nice,” Kyungsoo murmured. Yes, it did. Jongin’s heart swelled, pulling Kyungsoo closer, which made Kyungsoo stumble. They both giggled.

“Sorry,” Jongin mumbled, loosening his embrace. Kyungsoo beamed up at him.

“It’s okay,” he said, with his beautiful, bright, heart-shaped grin. And because he was suddenly gripped with the urge to do so, Jongin kissed him. He pulled away just as abruptly, the heat rushing to his ears. Stupid Jongin. Idiot Jongin. They weren’t _actual_ boyfriends why would he _do_ that-

Kyungsoo was staring at him, a little shocked, with pinked cheeks.

“Sorry, that was stupid,” Jongin chuckled, pulling away from Kyungsoo. Great. Now they were standing in the middle of the field, staring awkwardly at their feet.

“We should probably-” Kyungsoo pointed at the dorm buildings.

“Right,” Jongin said, clearing his throat. So they kept walking now, side by side, and Jongin missed the warmth of Kyungsoo by his side. But then- oh. Kyungsoo had twined his fingers with Jongin’s, swinging their arms as they made their way to the dorms.

Jongin couldn’t stay, unfortunately; the gigantic tome of short stories for his writing workshop was waiting for him. He had to turn down the offer Kyungsoo had so sweetly proposed. But there was the matter of goodbye. Usually just a hug; simple, still intimate. But Kyungsoo stepped into Jongin’s arms and kissed him instead, a long kiss, his eyelashes fluttering against Jongin’s cheekbone.


	3. Pt 3

Tuesdays and Fridays were sleepover days. Jongin had dance class on those days, and his room was farther than Kyungsoo’s from the campus (only ten extra minutes, Baekhyun liked to remind them), but Kyungsoo hated for Jongin to cross the whole campus so late in the afternoon, all sweaty and uncomfortable and with his duffle bag, so Jongin stayed in Kyungsoo’s room. And logically, that meant Kyungsoo would wait for Jongin to get out of class. So he’d trekked to the super modern (and kind of scary looking) dance building (not too far from the arts and humanities building, thankfully, so Kyungsoo didn’t arrive mouth-breathing). His phone vibrated just as he reached the studio Jongin was in. Well, looked like Kyungsoo was early. He sat down by the door.

**bbh (bad bitch here)**

_so you’re telling me you kissed him at the dorms_

_practically inside your room_

_where nobody would see you guys_

_just in CASE anyone saw us_

**bbh (bad bitch here)**

_yeah sure… :)_

 

He swore under his breath. Why’d he bother telling Baekhyun any of his business? But then again, Baekhyun needed to know _why_ he did it. Because obviously the kiss from last night was for Jongin’s sake. Just in case.

 

**bbh (bad bitch here)**

_i’m sure the next thing you’ll tell me is you sucked his dick “just in case”_

_fuck you_

**bbh (bad bitch here)**

_no thanks, that’s jongins job_

_im blocking you_

**bbh (bad bitch here)**

_:))))))_

 

Alright, clearly Kyungsoo just needed to ignore Baekhyun, but that was easier said than done. He wished, now, that he had a better selection of best friends; Jongin put him in this predicament, and Baekhyun only ever made things worse. He kept replaying their kisses from the day before, the intensity with which Jongin would look at him. They’d always been touchy but there was something different about the way Jongin looked at and touched him; it was more intimate, more raw. His cheeks felt warm, and he knew they were flushed. He needed a distraction.

Each studio had a narrow window next to the door, which was right behind Kyungsoo, so he turned to look inside. They were still dancing, Professor Jung standing at the front of the room with his arms crossed. Taemin and Yixing, both friends of Jongin, danced their way into view. Kyungsoo was always fascinated by dancers, though he thought Jongin the best dancer of all time. Was he a good judge? Probably not. But there was something about the passion in Jongin’s movements, the precision of his body, the way he extended the line so gracefully. Kyungsoo could hardly ever hope to be so coordinated; he was, after all, the type to walk into very Big and Obvious Things that were Very Much In the Way. There was a lady who looked much older than the rest of them, her movements far less fluid and precise. She had danced her way to the front, then, deciding to take a rest, sat by the mirrors. And then Jongin came into view, in a black tank top, his golden arms glowing. This was…not a good distraction. Now all Kyungsoo could think about was how wonderful it felt to have those very same arms wrapped around him, and those lips on his-

Wait. The ancient lady was putting a hand on Jongin’s arm. Of course. Jongin had taken half a step back, the corner of his mouth twitching into a half smile. That was a half smile of discomfort, and Kyungsoo knew it well; it was the same smile Jongin used whenever he was confronted by a particularly obvious admirer. Professor Jung thankfully intervened, directing the crone to the back of the room, out of Kyungsoo’s sight. Then Kyungsoo realized (rather belatedly) that he probably looked like a whole creep peering at them through the window, so he turned back around. Jongin’s toned, sweaty arms kept popping up in his head, and he remembered vehemently denying any sort of attraction to sweaty guys until Baekhyun had (damn him) very smugly pointed out that Kyungsoo didn’t seem to mind Jongin’s sweat at all.

Luckily, the class was over in another five minutes. Kyungsoo stood up slowly, hissing at the crack of his knees as they voiced their protest. He should probably start exercising. Taemin was one of the first to walk out, Yixing in tow, and Kyungsoo almost waved at them, but both of them didn’t notice him. He wasn’t offended: they were both notorious for having their heads in the clouds. A couple of others walked out, and then the ancient lady, but she stood to one side. Oh no. Was she also waiting for Jongin? Of course she would be. Kyungsoo peeked into the room. Jongin was stuffing a shirt into his bag, nodding his head to whatever Professor Jung was telling him. The glint of the studio lights bounced off Jongin’s sweaty arms, and Kyungsoo gulped. He’d always had a thing for Jongin’s arms. He leaned back. _She_ had a good vantage point, having stood right across from the door. Typical.

Jongin finally walked out, fixing his cap. Kyungsoo held out a water bottle (he always had one for him), laughing when Jongin jumped.

“Not funny, hyung,” Jongin whined, but he took the bottle anyway, chugging half of it instantly. “Thank you,” he purred, leaning down to give Kyungsoo a kiss. So Kyungsoo kissed him back, steadying himself with a hand on Jongin’s chest, even though the tank top was grossly sweaty. His knees still felt like jelly when they kissed, and his heart wanted to give out, but it felt right, proper even, like they were _supposed_ to be doing this, like they were meant to. But that was just Kyungsoo’s infatuation of many years speaking. Jongin pulled away, but gave Kyungsoo another quick peck. Jerk.

“You should be drinking water _while_ you’re in class, not chug it all _after_ ,” Kyungsoo said, slapping Jongin’s pec lightly, totally as a reprimand and _not_ because he liked the feeling of Jongin’s muscles under his fingertips. Not at all. Jongin adjusted his cap again, grinning sheepishly.

“What would I do without you, hyung?” Jongin sighed. The lady took a step toward them, bowing her head.

“Jongin-ah, you did very well today,” she said. Her voice was odd, high pitched and stilted. Kyungsoo hated it.

“Oh, uh, thanks Naoko,” Jongin smiled at her. No, don’t smile at her, Jongin, you idiot. Kyungsoo sidled closer to Jongin’s side, despite the fact that Jongin (and his clothes) was still entirely drenched in sweat. She nodded and smiled at him too. And then they just stood there, staring and smiling and shifting their weight awkwardly. Jongin put an arm around Kyungsoo and cleared his throat. “Naoko, this is my boyfriend, Kyungsoo.”

“Boyfriend?” she asked, looking rather shocked. Kyungsoo beamed at her. “O-oh. I see.”

“Nice to meet you,” said Kyungsoo, bowing slightly. It was a lie, a big one, but the look of disappointment on her face made Kyungsoo feel good. Maybe Sehun and Baekhyun’s petty bitchiness was rubbing off on him. She didn’t deign him with an answer, instead just scurrying out. Damn. No opportunity to suck off Jongin’s face in front of her. He kind of wanted another kiss. But, as if on cue, Jongin leaned down to kiss him deeply.

“You’re a wonder, you are,” Jongin said softly, kissing him again. Kyungsoo hummed. Anything Jongin said was music to his ears. “But let’s go. I wanna shower.” Jongin pressed another kiss to his temple then grabbed his hand, pulling him out of the building and across the campus.

 

-

 

As soon as they walked into Kyungsoo’s room Jongin claimed the bean bag, letting the duffle bag fall onto the floor dramatically as he threw himself face first onto it.

“Hey!” Kyungsoo nudged Jongin’s thigh with his foot, “No bean bag until you’ve showered!”

“M’comfy,” Jongin mumbled.

“You’re getting your nasty-ass sweat on it,” Kyungsoo grumbled, but Jongin didn’t budge. “Jongin,” he whined.

“Five more minutes hyu- ah! Okay, okay I’ll get up!” Jongin rolled off the bean bag. Kyungsoo had assaulted him with the black bear plushie Jongin liked to keep in Kyungsoo’s room, which Jongin thought was _not_ a fair fight. Kyungsoo was standing over him with the cutest little frown, one hip jutting out.

“Shower. Now,” Kyungsoo pointed at the bathroom door, so Jongin crawled over to it, dragging the duffle bag with him. “Jong _in!_ Walk!” But Jongin just crawled faster, laughing at Kyungsoo’s exasperated eye roll.

The shower soothed Jongin’s aching muscles for the most part, but the pain in his lower back had flared up. No amount of standing under hot water would help it. So he dragged himself out and put on a pair of boxers (but nothing else, of course, that would just ruin his comfort), walking out of the bathroom. Kyungsoo had also made himself comfortable in an oversized t-shirt and no pants, the globe of his ass peeking out from under the shirt. He had on dark blue briefs, and Jongin decided that color looked very nice on Kyungsoo. And because he wanted to (and because he always did), he reached out to grab one of Kyungsoo’s asscheeks, grinning at Kyungsoo’s squeal of surprise.

“Yah, you’re turning into Baekhyun, you pervert,” Kyungsoo snapped. Well, Jongin liked to learn from the best. He couldn’t be blamed for his appreciation of top quality asses, not when Kyungsoo had The Finest Ass Jongin had ever laid eyes on, porn stars included.

“I’m just showing you my love, hyung,” said Jongin, flopping onto the bed. Kyungsoo’s ears pinked.

“You’re gonna soak the pillowcase, Jongin,” he mumbled, throwing a towel at Jongin’s head. Jongin folded it and placed it on the pillow, resting his head on it.

“M’hungry,” he moaned. Kyungsoo scoffed.

“You’re always hungry,” said Kyungsoo. For that ass, Jongin thought, but then regretted it. He _really_ needed to stop hanging out with Baekhyun so much.

“What are we gonna eat?” Jongin whined, kicking his feet.

“Big baby,” was Kyungsoo’s reply. Sometimes Kyungsoo was incredibly unhelpful. So Jongin whined again, squirming on the bed. And again. And then again, until Kyungsoo shoved his arm. “ _What?_ ”

“Food,” Jongin whined. “And my back,” he added. Kyungsoo’s face softened then.

“Does it hurt again?” he asked, and oh- there was Kyungsoo’s gentle fingers, kneading the small of Jongin’s back. It felt heavenly, until Kyungsoo touched a particularly sore spot. Jongin hissed.

“Food first,” he pouted, and now Kyungsoo wasn’t arguing or ignoring him. One of the few upsides of Jongin’s back pain: Kyungsoo babied him immensely. He was already quite soft on Jongin, but on days Jongin was in pain he went through extra care for him. Jongin was already anticipating the extra cuddles of the night. Kyungsoo padded over to the dresser, sifting through the takeout menus.

“What are you up fo-”

“Thai,”

“Well that was fast,” Kyungsoo mumbled, making his way over to his desk. Jongin watched, entranced by the sway of Kyungsoo’s hips, the small jiggle of Kyungsoo’s asscheeks with each step he took. God, he’d love to bite that ass. Jongin’s eyes went wide, and he blushed. Bad thoughts. Bad, bad thoughts. He buried his face in the towel, but even the damp of it couldn’t calm the heat that had rushed to his face. “What do you want?”

“Green bean chicken,” Jongin mumbled into the towel.

“Can’t hear you, nini,” said Kyungsoo.

“Green bean chicken,” he repeated, watching Kyungsoo hunch over the laptop, the red and white page of Seamless glowing in the back. Then there were moments like this, little things, the way Kyungsoo typed (which was, admittedly, like a grandmother), the little tongue that darted out to lick his lips, the nose scrunch when something didn’t quite work, and the narrowing of the eyes when he couldn’t quite see. Jongin melted into the bedsheets. He desperately wanted to kiss Kyungsoo’s head, to draw him into a hug, but then Kyungsoo was done ordering and making his way back to the bed.

“Alright, back massage while we wait,” Kyungsoo chirped, reaching for the lotion. Jongin perked up, but then Kyungsoo straddled his ass, and oh- oh. That’s a penis. Wedged between his ass cheeks. Two layers of cloth was definitely not enough for Jongin not to feel Kyungsoo’s bulge. Especially when Kyungsoo was leaning forward to put the lotion on the nightstand again, the imprint of his dick pressing against Jongin’s asscheek. Jongin pushed back a little, but Kyungsoo didn’t seem to get the hint, instead shifting so that he was even more wedged between Jongin’s ass. The cold of the lotion and the warmth of Kyungsoo’s fingers only made matters worse. Kyungsoo was good at this, at working out the kinks in Jongin’s muscles, his deft fingers drawing out relaxed moans. But now Jongin was also acutely aware of Kyungsoo’s dick against his ass, and of the sensuous movement of his fingers, and Jongin was getting hard. Oh no. Oh no, no, no. Not when he was only in his underwear, with his best friend straddling his ass. He tried pushing back again, to see if Kyungsoo slid down enough, but again, Kyungsoo settled himself pressed against Jongin’s ass.

“Stop squirming, dummy,” Kyungsoo flicked Jongin’s ear, going back to massaging Jongin’s lower back. Great, there was no getting out of this. So Jongin tried his best to focus on the pleasurable pain of Kyungsoo’s fingers against his sore muscles. It was working. Sort of. Each time Kyungsoo would lean forward, his bulge would press against Jongin’s asscrack, and that meant Jongin, in a foolish attempt to not feel it as intensely, would press his own half-hard dick against the mattress. This was getting ridiculous. It was supposed to be _relaxing_ not arousing and stressful. So fuck it if he ended up with a boner. He’d tough it out and enjoy it.

It was another twenty minutes of sensuous torture, in which Kyungsoo managed to make Jongin both melt into a super pliable puddle and hard, desperately wanting to rut into the mattress and press himself against Kyungsoo’s dick. The delivery guy called then, and Kyungsoo, realizing they were both indecent, got up to put on pants, but not before he placed the softest kiss on Jongin’s shoulder. Jongin instantly missed the warmth of Kyungsoo’s dick and thighs pressed against him.

“How does it feel?” He asked, nearly stumbling as he put on sweats.

“Can’t think,” Jongin moaned out. Kyungsoo chuckled, ruffling Jongin’s hair before he left the room to get the food. This was Jongin’s chance. He peeled himself off the bed, which turned out far more difficult than he expected (Kyungsoo really had magic fingers), and put on his own sweats. But- damn. His dick was still very noticeably poking out. Maybe he’d have time for a- No. He didn’t want his food to get cold. But his dick…

He ducked into the bathroom and locked the door (Kyungsoo had walked in on him in the shower too many times for Jongin to leave it unlocked) and pulled off both his pants and his boxers. He sat on the toilet seat, the cold ceramic so far from the soft, warm sensation of Kyungsoo’s dick against his ass, but he willed it to come back. Not quite enough. So he thought of their kissing, of the way Kyungsoo’s tongue had lapped at his neck the other day, the wonderful swell of Kyungsoo’s ass in his hands, and managed to cum, relatively quickly, just as Kyungsoo walked into the room.

“Nini, I have the- oh, you’re in the bathroom?”

“Yeah,” Jongin winced when his voice cracked. Shit. He cleaned up quickly (living with two sisters and both his parents and a no-lock-on-the-door rule had made him quite fast at this) and washed his hands, realizing that he was probably sweatier than he should be for just using the bathroom. Well, if Kyungsoo asked, he could have a very terrible case of the shits… Or he could just say nothing. Yeah. That was probably best.


	4. Part 4

**(AN: im so sooooorry about being so late with this update!!! midterms really just like....murdered my soul... BUT i promise i'll update with another two chapters this week!!)**

 

They went to the amusement park every year for their anniversary. Their  _ friendship _ anniversary, of course. And it was fun. Really, it was. But this year he’d have to juggle having fun with dealing with Jongin’s incessant touching and kissing. Kyungsoo was almost afraid of what would happen once they stumbled off the rides, high off the altitude, giddy and giggly. Too much confidence, that’s for sure. Especially when Jongin pointed out that so many people from their school went to that amusement park. It was great exposure, good progress for Jongin’s ingenious plan. So Kyungsoo did what he thought best, invite a buffer. It would be a foolproof plan: Kyungsoo would invite Sehun, and with Sehun would come Chanyeol, and there was no better cockblock on this earth than Park Chanyeol. He sent the text, feeling quite smug.

But Sehun’s response, quite a few hours later, was no. That wasn’t the worst part. Oh no. The worst part was the suggestion that Kyungsoo invite  _ Byun fucking Baekhyun _ . He loved Baekhyun, he really did, but Baekhyun had been nothing less than insufferable since the whole ordeal started. Then, of course, before Kyungsoo could say no, Baekhyun himself texted Kyungsoo that he would be  _ delighted _ to go on a double date with them to the amusement park. Kyungsoo was seething. But he couldn’t tell Baekhyun no, after all. That would be mean.

And that was how all four of them, Kyungsoo and Jongin, Baekhyun and Junmyeon, ended up under the neon lights of the entrance. Baekhyun sidled up to Kyungsoo, squeezing the tender part of Kyungsoo’s arm.

“This is so exciting. I’ve always wanted to come,” he squealed, bouncing on the balls of his feet.

“Aren’t you and Junmyeon-hyung both afraid of heights?” Jongin asked, because Kyungsoo had informed him at the last minute that they had company, and Jongin hadn’t seemed entirely happy about it.  In the dramatic way only Baekhyun could truly pull off, Baekhyun choked a sob, a hand above his heart.

“Do you doubt the courage of my gallant knight and rescuer, Sir Junmyeon?” He asked, waltzing over to Junmyeon and grabbing Junmyeon’s face between his hands. Junmyeon was looking quite pale, and mustered a chuckle that sounded nervous.

“I doubt the courage,” Junmyeon said weakly. Jongin snorted.

“Guess you guys can’t join us on the dickhead dragon then,” he said, giving Junmyeon a sympathetic pat on the shoulder.

“Dickhead dragon?” Baekhyun sputtered, “If I knew this place was like Loveland I would’ve come sooner.” He laughed at his own pun, sticking his tongue out and wiggling his eyebrows when Kyungsoo didn’t laugh.

“You’re so annoying,” he muttered. Baekhyun beamed at him.

“It’s not an  _ actual _ dickhead. It’s just-” Jongin paused, cocking his head to the side, “Badly designed, I guess.”

“How disappointing,” said Baekhyun, sighing. “I still wanna see it.”

“Should we start there?” Kyungsoo asked, because really, how long were they going to stand at the entrance.

“Sure,” Jongin shrugged.

“That would be interesting, don’t you think?” Baekhyun asked, once they’d started walking. “Think of the potential of exploring the phallic nature of a dragon-” He glared at Jongin, who had slumped over Kyungsoo, giggling. Heat had crept up Kyungsoo’s neck, both at the mention of “phallic” and at the way Jongin’s hair had brushed against his neck. “Yah! Listen to me!”

But listen Jongin and Kyungsoo could not, not when they were both bright red and laughing.

“Baekkie, please-”

“No!” Baekhyun pouted at Junmyeon. “Jongin is a lit major, he should be appreciating the work I’m doing right now. It could be a study on the homoeroticism of dragons as phallic symbols-”

The dickhead dragon, Jongin and Kyungsoo’s favorite ride, was now before them. It was gaudy, borderline ugly, an Orientalist fantasy of painted green with a roof with upturned corners, cheap gold designs, vaguely asian looking, painted onto the walls. The dragon, from what Baekhyun and Junmyeon could see, was the ride itself, its segmented body holding two people per pair of legs. The tail stood alone, and the head, longer than the other segments, had seats. It would have once been red, but it had been dulled, through time and weather, to exactly the shade of deep pink of a dick head; the head of the dragon was torpedo shaped, no doubt for streamlining, but the shape was all too much like a penis. That the rest of the body, which would have once been gold, was now a pale brown, reminiscent of a (terrifying) shaft (because of the legs, which Kyungsoo had once had nightmares about - pulling down Jongin’s pants and finding that his dick was really this dragon, though not segmented) did not help the situation.

“Wow that’s really a whole dick,” said Baekhyun, jaw hanging in awe, “A dick with teeth. Scary.” Which earned him a dirty look from a mother who passed by with her young son. Baekhyun balked, but his fright didn’t last long. “Oops.”

“Well,” Jongin said smugly, “Are you guys gonna ride this dick or not?”

“As curious as I am, your dick is a taken dick,” said Baekhyun, winking at Kyungsoo. Kyungsoo frowned back at him, raising a fist, but Baekhyun slipped behind Junmyeon, who was too busy looking at the peak of the ride.

“N-no thanks,” said Junmyeon, taking shaky steps towards a bench.

“Aw, come on, Junnie. You know dick riding is my favorite sport,” Baekhyun whined, tugging on Junmyeon’s sleeve.

“Are you seeing how far up that goes?” Junmyeon asked, his voice almost shrill. 

“But I want to ride the dick. I  _ need _ the dick,” said Baekhyun with a pout. Not a second later he perked up and whispered something in Junmyeon’s ear.

“Oh,  _ fine, _ ” Junmyeon hissed, looking a little green in the face. They shuffled onto the line, with a trembling Junmyeon craning his neck each time the people on the ride screamed.

“This’ll be a fun dick ride,” Jongin whispered into Kyungsoo’s ear, and Kyungsoo, not expecting the proximity, nor the soft puff of Jongin’s breath against his neck, jumped nearly a foot.

“Oh?” Kyungsoo asked.

“It’s like a virgin dick ride. The first time we’re doing it together,” said Jongin, a wicked twinkle in his eyes. Kyungsoo wanted to point out that it wasn’t their first time riding it together, and they technically  _ weren’t a real couple _ but Jongin leaned in close again. “I hope your thighs are ready for it.” That, and the wicked grin Jongin gave him made his head light, certainly  _ not _ because all his blood had just rushed south. His ears were burning, and, being far too flustered to come up with anything clever, Kyungsoo just sputtered for a bit then turned his back on Jongin with a huff. Stupid Jongin and his stupid sex appeal. He hated it when Jongin put on the sexy act. But maybe he hated the kiss Jongin placed on his cheek even more.

“Yah, stop it,” he glared up at Jongin, feeling the heat in his cheeks. Of course Jongin was beaming down at him. Kyungsoo stomped his foot, but it earned him a kiss on the nose. “I’m serious, Jongin!”

“Or what?” Jongin asked, scrunching his nose. If Kyungsoo wasn’t mad, he would’ve thought that cute. But it wasn’t. Because Kyungsoo was mad. Very mad.

“Or- or-” but Kyungsoo couldn’t think of anything, so he held up his fist and waved it in Jongin’s face.

“Or?” Jongin asked again, and when Kyungsoo just glared at him, he leaned down to give Kyungsoo a sloppy kiss, cupping Kyungsoo’s cheeks in his hands. He pulled away with a fond smile, but still held Kyungsoo’s face. Oh what a stupid, ugly, idiotic, mean boy. Kyungsoo couldn’t decide between kicking Jongin square in the nuts or pulling him in for another kiss. But Jongin made that decision for him, peppering his face with smooches.

“Hey- ah! Stop it! Yah! Jongin-” Kyungsoo finally squirmed out of Jongin’s grip, rubbing his face. He willed for the heat to go away, for the sensation of Jongin’s lips to go away, but of course they didn’t. And of course he wanted more. But then Baekhyun disappointed sigh drew his attention.

“Why’d you stop? That was so  _ cute _ ,” he said, giving Kyungsoo a smug smile. He pulled his phone closer to him, and the lightbulb went off in Kyungsoo’s head.

“You did  _ not _ ,” Kyungsoo squawked. Baekhyun gave him his best wide-eyed innocent look, but took a step closer to Junmyeon. “Delete that!”

“I don’t know what you’re talking about,” Baekhyun muttered, but his poker face was terrible, not that Kyungsoo would’ve believed him anyway. Kyungsoo lunged at him only to be stopped by Jongin’s strong arms. 

“Come  _ on _ , we’re next,” Jongin swung Kyungsoo around and walked him towards the ride, no easy feat when Jongin’s legs were nearly tangled with Kyungsoo. And Kyungsoo, acutely aware of the burn of his cheeks and of the feeling of Jongin’s whole body (his  _ whole _ body, and that included Jongin’s bulge) pressed against him, scurried out of Jongin’s grip, stumbling into the seat.

 

-

 

Jongin decided, after they stumbled off the ride, that flushed, giggling Kyungsoo was the cutest sight on earth. Never mind that he also thought Kyungsoo drowning in Jongin’s clothing was the cutest. And sleepy Kyungsoo curled up in his arms. And Kyungsoo trying to lick frosting off his lips. And Kyungsoo fluttering his eyelashes up at him. And Kyungsoo-

Kyungsoo pointing excitedly at the cotton candy stand, his eyes lit up by the glint of the neon lights.

“Look at that big one,” said Kyungsoo, clinging to Jongin’s arm. “I want it.” Well, what Kyungsoo wanted, Jongin would give. After a wet kiss on Kyungsoo’s adorable nose, that is. Kyungsoo scrunched it, rubbing it on Jongin’s shoulder. “Blegh.”

“Don’t wipe off my love, hyung,” Jongin whined, bumping his nose against Kyungsoo’s forehead.

“Your love doesn’t have to be so wet,” Kyungsoo grumbled, frowning up at him. Ugh, how ridiculously cute.

“No, you’re right. It could be wetter,” said Jongin, miming jacking off.

“Yah!” Kyungsoo smacked his chest, his cheeks bright and flushed. Jongin doubled over, both in laughter and in pain, and when he looked up, Kyungsoo was still staring at him, lips parted, looking so flustered he couldn’t help the soft kiss he placed on Kyungsoo’s cheek.

“Go away, you pervert,” Kyungsoo grumbled, giving Jongin a half-hearted shove.

“Oh come on, you’re worse than I am,” Jongin whined. Kyungsoo smirked, adjusting his glasses.

“Whateve- wait. Where did Baekhyun and Junmyeon go?”

Baekhyun and Junmyeon were on a bench. Baekhyun, teary-eyed with hair sticking out in all directions, looked burnt out. Junmyeon, his face still pinched with fear, sagged against Baekhyun.

“Was the dick too much?” Kyungsoo asked. Jongin huffed. So much for accusing him of being a pervert. Baekhyun gave him a weak smile.

“The dick put me out of commission for the night. I think I’ll stick to human dick from now on,” he said, chuckling. Because of course Baekhyun could make dick jokes even like this. “You guys go ahead, we’ll meet up with you later.”

So Kyungsoo took Jongin’s hand in his, weaving through the crowd until they reached the cotton candy stand.

“Oh, it’s  _ maple _ . That’s new,” he said, leaning closer to the bag.

“Wanna try it?” Jongin asked, reaching for his wallet, but Kyungsoo smacked his hand away.

“I’m the hyung, dummy,” said Kyungsoo, handing the bag of cotton candy to Jongin after he paid. “Open it.”Jongin gave him an annoyed look. “Heh, sorry.”

Kyungsoo bounced on the balls of his feet, enraptured by the tuft of cotton candy that Jongin had plucked from the puff of white. He opened his mouth, plump lips expectant, and licked Jongin’s fingers for good measure. Fuck. The soft lapping of Kyungsoo’s tongue on his fingers went straight to his dick. He shouldn’t have worn jeans this tight.

“Is it good?”

Kyungsoo nodded, wide eyed; his pink tongue darted out to wet his lips, and Jongin swallowed hard.

“It’s different. I like it,” he said, beaming up at Jongin. I like  _ you _ , Jongin wanted to say, but he didn’t. He just stuffed cotton candy in his mouth instead, almost choking at the richness of it, the subtle smoky hint of the maple as it melted on his tongue.

“Oh shit, this is really good,” he said, staring into the bag. Then he looked at Kyungsoo, and Kyungsoo gave him a knowing grin.

“Another one?”

“Make that two.”

“Two?” Kyungsoo looked at him with owl-eyed surprise, that absolutely adorable look Jongin loved so much (just like he loved Kyungsoo’s bashful face, his proud face, his sleepy face, his mischievous face-).

“I’m a big boy,” said Jongin, wiggling his eyebrows. He was ready for the rough poke in his side, giggling when Kyungsoo did just that. “I’m a  _ growing _ boy-”  _ Growing _ , well, maybe his dick was-

“Cotton candy has no nutritional value, Jongin,” Kyungsoo huffed.

“What do you know about nutrition?” Jongin asked. Kyungsoo opened his mouth, closed it, opened it again, then settled for punching Jongin’s arm.

“I’m not getting you two bags, then,” he snapped. Pissed off Kyungsoo was also cute, but mostly hot. Very hot. Jongin bit his lip.

“Oh come on, hyung,  _ please _ ,” he whined, shuffling closer until he could curl over Kyungsoo, his cheek pressed against the top of Kyungsoo’s head. He nuzzled Kyungsoo’s hair,  _ not _ because he totally had a thing for Kyungsoo’s conditioner and the softness of Kyungsoo’s hair, but because he was trying to wear Kyungsoo down. Yeah. That was why.

“What’s in it for me?” Kyungsoo asked, his voice muffled by the collar of Jongin’s jacket.

“I’ll give you all the smooches and cuddles and hugs-”

“I asked what’s in it for  _ me _ , not  _ you _ ,” Kyungsoo huffed, pushing Jongin away, but there was a teasing smile on his lips.

“Whatever you want, hyung,” Jongin said breathily, giving Kyungsoo a deep kiss. Kyungsoo stiffened, the hand still on Jongin’s arm tightening its grip, until Jongin pulled away. He blinked up at Jongin, lips parted.

“I- uh-” Kyungsoo swallowed hard, licking his lips, and fuck if that wasn’t the hottest thing. “O-okay, I’ll get it.” Kyungsoo turned on his heel, and Jongin knew he was blushing.

“I love you, Ddu-ddu,” said Jongin, skipping behind Kyungsoo.

“Don’t call me that,” Kyungsoo grumbled.

“Cutie patootie Soo,” Jongin said in sing-song, pressing a wet smooch to Kyungsoo’s cheek.

“Jongin,” Kyungsoo snarled.

“Baby-boo Soo- ah!” Jongin jumped back, eyes screwed shut when Kyungsoo turned around. But then he opened his eyes and Kyungsoo was at the stand, buying two bags. He let out a sigh of relief, clutching the bag of cotton candy to his chest, when he spied a familiar red frizz approaching him.

“Oh  _ hey, _ Jongin! That’s  _ so crazy _ , I totally didn’t think I’d see you here,” Emily chirped. Jongin stifled a groan, but this was, after all,  _ part _ of the reason why they were here. Next to her was Kayla, who was also in their English class, a plain girl with a big forehead and no volume control when she spoke, who would ramble her way around the point she was trying to make. And she, like Emily, had developed a crush on Jongin.

“Oh my  _ god _ , Jongin. How  _ are _ you?” Kayla nearly shouted, though she was hardly more than a foot away.

“You’re carrying these, Kim Jongi- oh, hi,” Kyungsoo stuttered, looking beyond adorable with the flustered look on his face, a large bag of cotton candy in each hand. Jongin took one of them, leaning forward for Kyungsoo to take the open bag. And to give Kyungsoo another deep, appreciative kiss.

“Thank you, my love,” he purred, reveling in the bashful flutter of Kyungsoo’s eyelashes.

“You’re gonna get a stomachache from all this,” he mumbled, sidling closer to Jongin, pulling at the tuft of cotton candy when it wouldn’t come loose.

“Hi,” said Kayla, rather flatly. Emily’s face had soured, looking at Kyungsoo with disapproval. Kyungsoo, far too engrossed by the cotton candy as it pulled apart slowly, ignored them, trying to fit the golf-ball sized tuft into his mouth. He did. Mostly. And Jongin watched him fondly, vaguely aware of Kayla and Emily talking about the rides they’d been on as Kyungsoo cleaned the remaining cotton candy from his fingers. Except he’d missed the bit on his bottom lip. So naturally, Jongin licked it off for him, sucking Kyungsoo’s bottom lip gently. When he pulled back, the girls were quiet, staring at Kyungsoo, who was staring at Jongin.

Then luckily Baekhyun appeared, propping his chin on Kyungsoo’s shoulder.

“Oh,” he chirped, looking at the bags of cotton candy, “I see dick riding made you quite hungry.” He wiggled his eyebrows at Kyungsoo, whose cheeks pinked. “I understand, dick tends to awaken hunger.” Jongin couldn’t help the snort of laughter, giggling into the cotton candy bags. The girls stared at them, a little horrified.

“Dick riding is our favorite sport,” said Jongin, but his ears were burning.

“Wise men, you are,” said Baekhyun with a wink. “Oh and uh, looks like you were doing some other dick related activities. Suckin lollipops and all that. You got a lil somethin’ there.” Baekhyun pointed at a bit of cotton candy on the other corner of Kyungsoo’s mouth. Kyungsoo’s eyes widened to saucers, wiping his mouth.

“It’s cotton candy, you jackass,” he grumbled. The girls, who were more shocked now, looked at each other, then at Jongin.

“We- uh. We’ll be on our way, then,” said Kayla, tugging on Emily’s arm.

“Bye Jongin,” said Emily, quite pointedly, “See you in class on Monday.” And with a final awkward wave they walked away.

“She only forgot to mention the time, the classroom, the professor’s name,” said Baekhyun, trailing off with a chuckle. Kyungsoo rolled his eyes.

“Where’d you leave Junmyeon, dickwad?” he asked.

“He had to pee,” Baekhyun said simply. As if summoned by the question, Junmyeon peered over Baekhyun’s shoulder.

“Let’s get popcorn,” he said, tugging on Baekhyun’s sleeve. Baekhyun linked arms with him, skipping ahead.

“We should get some, too,” Jongin said softly, “And something to drink.” Kyungsoo looked up at him and nodded, giving him a small smile. He looked extra small, a little dazed, in fact, so Jongin pulled him close and placed a gentle kiss on his head. Kyungsoo leaned into him and Jongin felt his heart melt, pulling him closer.

“Do you really want popcorn? You should be eating a proper dinner,” Kyungsoo mumbled.

“We can get proper dinner another night,” said Jongin, nuzzling Kyungsoo’s hair as they walked.

“Eh?”

“I mean like a date. A proper dinner date,” said Jongin.

“O-oh,” Kyungsoo stuttered. And because Jongin was revelling in the warmth of Kyungsoo tucked into his side, and because Kyungsoo was apparently mulling over the idea, they nearly collided into Baekhyun and Junmyeon, who were feeding each other popcorn.

“You guys walk slow,” Junmyeon said around a mouthful of popcorn.

“I think it’s cute, look at them all snuggled up,” said Baekhyun, popcorn falling out his mouth.

“Don’t talk with your mouth full,” Kyungsoo grumbled.

“Mm, okay. We can meet the lovebirds by the entrance,” said Baekhyun.

“What about  _ outside _ ? There’s a fun house with clowns and it just-” Junmyeon chuckled nervously, hugging the popcorn bag closer.

“Hey, don’t spill the popcorn!” Baekhyun whined.

“You didn’t answer my question, hyung,” said Jongin, pulling Kyungsoo towards the popcorn stand.

“Hmm?” Kyungsoo blinked up at him.

“Dinner? Together?” Jongin repeated. Kyungsoo blushed.

“I-I-I- yes? Okay,” Kyungsoo stammered. With a grin, Jongin gave him another kiss.


	5. Part 5

**(A/N: YES!!! I AM, IN FACT, ALIVE!!! I'm so sorry for abandoning you guys all these months but it was pretty hectic (graduated from college, mom had surgery, started a new job, all that jazz) buuuuuuut I am back for good. Expect regular updates now and remember you can always ask me questions @honeyedsunshine on twitter!!)**

 

The place Jongin had picked for their dinner date was the Thai food restaurant they always ordered from. Naturally. Kyungsoo should’ve known. He’d shot Jongin a dirty look when they arrived; Jongin refused to tell him where they were going the whole week because it was supposed to be a “super special mystery.”

“Thai? Really?”

Jongin gave him a sheepish grin.

“It’s affordable and super yummy and we both love it,” said Jongin, but he still looked bashful, the tips of his ears burning.

“We could’ve eaten at the dorm,” Kyungsoo grumbled.

Jongin gave him an exasperated look.

“The point of this is for people to see us together, hyung,” Jongin whispered.

Kyungsoo bit his lip. Oh. Right.

“Don’t tell me you forgot,” said Jongin.

Kyungsoo flashed him a brilliant smile.

“Hyung…”

“Don’t judge me, you meanie,” said Kyungsoo, guffawing when Jongin stared at him in horror.

“That’s a record, even for you,” said Jongin, holding the door open.

“I said don’t _judge_ ,” Kyungsoo whined.

Jongin laughed. Stupid. Stupid Jongin and his stupid beautiful smile. Kyungsoo scowled at him, but he knew that would be useless. And it was. Jongin pressed a messy smooch to his cheek and grabbed Kyungsoo’s hand.

“It’s a date, hyung. You’re supposed to look happy,” Jongin quipped.

Kyungsoo scoffed.

“Is this better?” Kyungsoo asked, flashing Jongin a forced grin.

“You look like you have gas,” said Jongin, nose scrunched in concern.

“Oh, that’s gross, Jongin,” Kyungsoo grumbled, kicking Jongin’s foot.

“Are we really doing this?” Jongin asked, kicking Kyungsoo back.

“Hey!”

“You started it-”

“Would you like something to drink to start you off?” said the waitress. She was an older woman, one who knew them quite well, and she gave them an amused smile at the flush on both their cheeks.

“This isn’t over,” Jongin hissed, wiggling his eyebrows.

Stupid, stupid Jongin. Now Kyungsoo couldn’t stop giggling.

“I’ll have Thai iced tea,” said Jongin.

“I’ll-” but he had to stop; the giggles were too much. “Me too.”

“You too what?” Jongin asked.

“Two Thai iced tea?” the waitress asked; Kyungsoo nodded, hiding behind the menu.

She walked off, and Kyungsoo dissolved into giggles again. The uncontrollable type, set off only by the waggle of Jongin’s eyebrows, the goofy grin on Jongin’s face.

“Kyungsoo-”

And the giggles began again. Jongin had only rested his chin in his hand, waiting for Kyungsoo to calm down, but the incredulous look on his face was enough to encourage the bubble of giggles.

“I just- I need a moment,” said Kyungsoo. Now it was Jongin’s turn to dissolve into laughter.

“Hyung,” he said.

“I’m sorry,” Kyungsoo sniffled, snorting when he caught Jongin’s eye.

“Have you been sleeping these days?” Jongin asked.

Kyungsoo groaned, rubbing at his cheeks. Now they hurt. Because of Jongin and his dumb antics.

“Not really,” he moaned, taking off his glasses to wipe his eyes dry.

“Maybe eating at the dorm would have been a better idea,” said Jongin, and Kyungsoo sighed.

“I’m okay, I promise,” he said, biting back another giggle.

Jongin raised an eyebrow.

“I don’t believe you,” said Jongin.

“It’s the truth,” Kyungsoo insisted.

“Alright fine. If you giggle again before the food gets here, you have to plan the next date. If you don’t, then I do,” said Jongin. Kyungsoo narrowed his eyes at Jongin.

“Oh, it’s on,” Kyungsoo hissed.

Except maybe it was harder than Kyungsoo thought. They ordered their food, gave their menus to the waitress, and nursed their Thai iced teas, but Jongin kept nudging Kyungsoo’s foot under the table, or pulling a funny face, or wiggling his eyebrows, or accidentally choking on his tea. Kyungsoo bit the inside of his cheek, staring intensely at the condensation on Jongin’s glass.

“You look like you’re trying to hold in a fart,” said Jongin.

Their eyes met. Silence. Then laughter. Jongin first, of course, Kyungsoo made sure of that.

“Aha! You lost!” Jongin exclaimed, pointing a triumphant finger at Kyungsoo.

“You laughed _first_ ,” said Kyungsoo, pushing Jongin’s hand down.

“Did not.”

“Did to.”

“Just admit you lost, hyung. Nobody likes a sore loser,” Jongin scoffed.

“You? _You_ of all people?” Kyungsoo squeaked. “You’re the sorest loser in this whole city and you know it. _You_ fess up.”

Jongin sniffed, flicking his hair back.

“How about we just cancel this bet,” he grumbled.

“What? Oh no, you’re not worming your way out of this,” said Kyungsoo, poking Jongin’s arm with a fork. “It was _your_ idea anyway.”

Jongin gave him a petulant pout and a shake of the head.

“Bet cancelled,” he declared.

“Bet cancelled? This whole thing is cancelled,” Kyungsoo joked.

Jongin’s jaw dropped, blinking back surprise.

“Wait no, fine, I’ll plan all the dates, hyung, I promise,” Jongin took Kyungsoo’s hands in his, holding them to his cheeks.

“I guess that works,” Kyungsoo purred, smiling at the cute frown on Jongin’s face.

“You’re lucky I love you,” he said.

And that made Kyungsoo freeze. It shouldn’t have; it wasn’t the first time Jongin had ever told him that. It wasn’t the first time, but it made Kyungsoo’s stomach roil, his throat dry. Kyungsoo the fool, he thought, for reacting so dramatically to something so simple. But Jongin was oblivious, as he always was, leaning into Kyungsoo’s hands. So Kyungsoo snatched them back, unrolling the napkin and placing the utensils on the table. Jongin looked a little startled, but Kyungsoo thanked the universe and all its machinations that the food arrived in that moment, just as Jongin opened his mouth to speak.

As was typical, Kyungsoo would steal a few green beans and carrots from Jongin’s plate, and Jongin would steal a few pieces of pineapple from Kyungsoo’s. Jongin had speared a pineapple piece onto his fork, bringing it up to his mouth lazily.

“Jaehwan is here,” he said, wrapping his tongue around the fruit.

Kyungsoo almost didn’t register Jongin’s words because fuck if he didn’t look hot eating a stupid piece of fruit. He just stared for a bit, watching Jongin’s full lips suck the pineapple off the fork before he snapped out of it.

“Who?” Kyungsoo asked. He was aiming for nonchalant with an elbow propped onto the table but he missed the first time, his ears burning. Jongin leaned his head left, and Kyungsoo followed his gaze (totally not distracted by the thought of tasting pineapple on Jongin’s lips after dinner) to see Jaehwan and his latest boyfriend sitting a few tables over.

“Oh, and there’s Chittaphon and Taeyong. And Jungwoo and Yukhei. And Sooyeong and Joohyun,” said Jongin, craning his neck.

“Lotsa couples, huh,” said Kyungsoo, pausing when Jongin stared at him. “What?”

“That’s…that’s what-”

“We’re here for, right. Sorry, I just keep forgetting,” Kyungsoo mumbled into his food.

Jongin didn’t say anything else, sipping on his Thai iced tea instead. And then Kyungsoo felt his heart sinking. As much as he loved all of this, the date, the sweet kisses, the time he was spending with Jongin, it made his crush so much worse. Well, crush wasn’t even the word for it. No. It had never been. Kyungsoo loved Jongin. He loved him fiercely, dearly, fully. This charade, this act, it was pulling Kyungsoo deeper into his love for Jongin, and it made him ache to know that it would all be over and forgotten in a matter of weeks. It wouldn’t even be properly over; there was nothing real to begin with. After all the intimacy, the time spent loving Jongin with a sincerity the other wouldn’t recognize, Jongin would just…move on. It had been wrong to agree to this; it was wrong that Kyungsoo hadn’t yet broken this off, whatever ‘this’ was. He opened his mouth to speak, but Jongin was watching him with worried eyes, pouting around his straw.

“Is the food alright?” he asked.

Kyungsoo gave him a quizzical look.

“You’ve just been looking at it real sad, is all,” Jongin said softly. He draped an arm over the table, hand open for Kyungsoo to take, so Kyungsoo, stupidly, did. He needed the comfort.

“Yeah, just have a lot on my mind,” said Kyungsoo, trying to ward off Jongin’s concern with a smile. Jongin didn’t look convinced, but he didn’t press it; he just gave Kyungsoo’s hand a light squeeze.

“Well one of those things on your mind should be dessert,” he said with a playful tone.

Kyungsoo raised an eyebrow at the little dance Jongin did in his seat.

“7/11 dessert?” Kyungsoo asked.

Jongin spluttered, the fork clattering from his hand.

“What kind of dessert is that?” he squawked.

“College student dessert,” said Kyungsoo.

Jongin sulked, crossing his arms and making sure Kyungsoo had seen his spectacular pout.

“I wouldn’t mind, you big baby,” said Kyungsoo.

Jongin stuck out his tongue.

“It’s a _date_ , hyung. It’s supposed to be special,” Jongin whined.

“Alright, fine,” said Kyungsoo, “keep your secrets.”

Jongin flashed him a brilliant smile and it made Kyungsoo’s stomach somersault. He’d never get over that gorgeous smile.

“You done?” the waitress asked, taking their plates when they nodded.

“I’ll go pay,” said Jongin, slipping out of the chair.

“The hell you will-”

“Kyungsoo-”

“No, Jongin, you’re not-”

“Kyungsoo, my _love_ ,” Jongin cupped Kyungsoo’s cheek. “This date was my idea. I planned for this. Relax.”

Kyungsoo pouted up at him, fluttering his eyelashes but then- oh. Jongin kissed him, two soft smooches on the lips and another one on his forehead before he slipped off to pay.

 

 

-

 

 

Dessert was more of a splurge than dinner was. They stopped at Osulloc, the fancy tea place by the dorm, and took a seat by the corner window of the second floor. It was a booth, perfect snuggling territory, which Jongin took full opportunity of. Kyungsoo was tucked between the window and Jongin’s side, resting his head on Jongin’s shoulder.

“I would’ve been okay with 7/11, y’know,” Kyungsoo finally said.

Jongin let his cheek rest on Kyungsoo’s head, blinking sleepily.

“I wanted to give you something special for helping me out,” he murmured. “Besides, 7/11 doesn’t have the tangerine milk tea you love.”

Kyungsoo blushed at this, his eyes twinkling. Oh, it was too much for Jongin’s heart. He nuzzled Kyungsoo’s warm cheek, bumping their noses together. He loved being able to indulge like this, holding Kyungsoo close and giving him all this affection.

“The tangerine milk tea _is_ worth it,” said Kyungsoo, melting further into Jongin’s side.

As if on cue, the waitress came by with their tray, a gorgeous milk tea bingsu and two mugs of tangerine milk tea. Kyungsoo sat up, leaning over the milk tea with a brilliant smile.

“Wait, ah- no, don’t drink yet!” Jongin whined.

Kyungsoo rolled his eyes, placing the mug back onto the tray. Jongin fumbled with his phone, finally pulling up the camera, then grinned at Kyungsoo.

“Can I drink it _now_?” Kyungsoo asked, batting his eyelashes at Jongin and _fuck_ if Jongin didn’t want to drown him in kisses for that.

“Yes, you spoiled baby boy,” Jongin cooed, laughing when Kyungsoo shot him an exasperated look. He snapped the picture, Kyungsoo puckering his lips adorably to get sip of the tangerine milk tea without burning himself.

“Ah, hot, hot!” Kyungsoo stuck out his bottom lip. “Hurt.”

Jongin almost cooed again, pressing a soft kiss to Kyungsoo’s nose.

“You should’ve cooled it down some,” said Jongin.

“But if I blew on it, it wouldn’t look nice,” Kyungsoo whined, taking a spoon to scoop the dried tangerine out.

“Wait, another pic,” said Jongin.

Kyungsoo groaned, glowering at Jongin over the bingsu.

“Oh, that’s perfect,” he purred. And it was. Kyungsoo’s big beautiful eyes peeking out from behind the crest of dried grapefruit slice that decorated the bingsu.

“Yes, it is,” Kyungsoo sighed, finally poking the bingsu with his spoon. He moaned around the spoonful, licking the sweetened condensed milk off when he pulled it out. Jongin almost cursed out loud at that. Almost. Instead he swallowed hard and tried to focus on his own tangerine milk tea, but his eyes kept wandering back to Kyungsoo’s plump lips on the rim of the mug, Kyungsoo’s lips wrapped around the spoon…

“Do I have something on my face?” Kyungsoo asked around a mouthful of bingsu.

“Eh?”

“You keep staring,” he said, wiping his mouth with the back of his hand.

“Oh, no. I’m just spacing out,” said Jongin, blushing into his tea.

Kyungsoo narrowed his eyes, but didn’t push it; his attention was once again absorbed by the bingsu, piling the bits of honey comb crumble onto his spoon.

“Hey! Leave some for me,” Jongin protested.

Kyungsoo froze, wide-eyed, spoon to his lips, until his lips formed that beautiful big smile Jongin loved so much, the one that made Kyungsoo’s cheeks little pink apples.

“Sorry,” he whispered, but he still popped the spoon in his mouth, licking the milk off his top lip.

“You’re lucky you’re cute,” Jongin grumbled.

Kyungsoo flashed him another cute smile, nuzzling Jongin’s cheek. It made Jongin’s heart flutter. He busied himself with the bingsu, digging down to the ice cream to keep from looking at Kyungsoo. It occurred to him then, as Kyungsoo took a picture of himself with a foam mustache (Jongin made a mental note to ask Kyungsoo for that picture later), that this would all have to end at some point. He’d lose the beautiful warmth of these moments, the affection he could shower on Kyungsoo (and receive, because Kyungsoo cuddling with him, hugging him, kissing him, playing with his hair, that all set his heart a-flutter), the quotidian intimacy that was only possible because they were a couple. Because they were _sort-of_ a couple. But then he realized he was staring again and Kyungsoo was getting suspicious and he was running out of excuses so Jongin pulled himself out of his reverie and scooped the honey comb crumble from Kyungsoo’s spoon.

“But-”

“But nothing, you owe me these,” said Jongin.

Kyungsoo pouted, complete with the biggest, saddest, cutest look in his eyes.

“Mmmm. Nice try. Not gonna cut it,” said Jongin, licking his spoon clean.

Kyungsoo tried to keep up the act, a petulant sulk on his face, but one waggle of Jongin’s eyebrows was all he needed to burst into laughter.

“Stop it! You’re ruining my act,” Kyungsoo grumbled.

“Those acting classes must be a waste then- ow!” Jongin rubbed his arm, still laughing when Kyungsoo pulled the plate of bingsu away. “Oh no you don’t!”

Jongin pulled it back, grabbing Kyungsoo’s wrist when the other reached for it again.

“Let go,” said Kyungsoo, but he couldn’t keep the smile off his face.

“Make me,” said Jongin. Oh, what a poor choice of words.

Kyungsoo kissed him deeply, tongue and all, twining the fingers of his free hand in Jongin’s hair. He even draped his leg over Jongin’s lap (the closest he’d get to straddling, and Jongin really wanted to move the table right then), which meant that Jongin, inevitably, had to let go of Kyungsoo’s wrist so he could knead Kyungsoo’s luscious thigh.

“Now do I get the rest of the bingsu?” Kyungsoo teased, giggling when Jongin chased his lips for more.

“Not a chance,” Jongin moaned, pulling Kyungsoo in for another kiss. But…

But they were still at Osulloc. The tea house may have been fairly empty, but it wasn’t _completely_ empty. One of the guys in another booth cleared his throat loudly. Kyungsoo scrambled to sit right (and in the process got the corner of the table right in the middle of his back - Jongin knew it would bruise), hiding his face in his hands.

“That was stupid,” he giggled, his ears aflame.

“We should probably…” Jongin pointed at the bingsu when Kyungsoo peeked between his fingers.

“Right. And the tea,” Kyungsoo dared a glance at the other booth, relieved when the dude seemed to have gone back to his phone. He slurped the bingsu (it was, unfortunately, almost all melted into a mix of milk tea and ice cream), snorting when he saw it run down Jongin’s chin.

“You’re gonna choke and you’re gonna deserve it,” Jongin muttered, dabbing at his chin with a napkin.

“Yeah, whatever,” said Kyungsoo, drinking the tangerine milk tea as fast as he could. “Last one out pays for the next date!” But of course, Kyungsoo had already slipped out the booth, before Jongin could finish his tea, before he could even process Kyungsoo’s words.

“Oh, that’s not fair!” Jongin whined, chugging the tea before he ran down the stairs, catching Kyungsoo’s shirt by the hem. Kyungsoo’s foot had just passed the door, but Jongin pulled him back in and jumped out of the store. “Ha!”

Kyungsoo stared at him, stunned and disheveled (Jongin even spied a little sliver of the skin on Kyungsoo’s side, exposed by Kyungsoo’s rumpled shirt, and it made him want give Kyungsoo a hickey).

“You fucking cheat, oh my god,” Kyungsoo ran after him, trying to pull one of Jongin’s ears but Jongin, with his long arms and long legs, dodged each of Kyungsoo’s attempts until he pulled Kyungsoo into a tight embrace. Perfect.

“Last one to the dorm pays for the next five dates,” Jongin whispered, nibbling on Kyungsoo’s neck before he shot off, leaving a cursing Kyungsoo to run after him.


	6. Part 6

**(AN: yall in for a treat today~ TWO new chapters for you to enjoy since I missed last week. don't forget to show your love and comment, @ me on twitter if you like~)**

 

Dance majors always had recitals for midterms. Kyungsoo always went to those recitals (for support, not because he wanted to see Jongin sweaty in tight clothes). And now he was going to the recital as Jongin’s boyfriend. _Fake_ boyfriend. He’d caught himself a few times already, thinking about their dates, worrying about whether or not Jongin had eaten or gotten enough sleep (which Baekhyun reminded him he did _before_ they started fake dating, but Kyungsoo didn’t believe it…mostly), referring to Jongin in his thoughts as _boyfriend_. But that wasn’t right. Because they weren’t. Which he sternly reminded himself each time it happened.

But naturally, since he was nervous, he invited back up. Back up ended up being the worst possible combo to ever accompany him: Baekhyun and Chanyeol. They’d gotten there extra early (Chanyeol insisted), got to see Jongin before he had to slip back stage (Chanyeol was cooing and gushing and taking pictures of the quick kiss Jongin gave Kyungsoo and Kyungsoo wanted to murder him), and gotten front row seats (they were just fold-up chairs in one of the classrooms, nothing fancy), and checked to make sure the roses were still there (they were). (The roses were Baekhyun’s idea). Naturally, they made him sit between them. And now they waited.

“So you never told me if you guys made out some more in the dorm after that Osulloc date,” said Baekhyun, grinning at Chanyeol’s (stupidly dramatic) gasp.

“Made out _more_? So you guys were making out at Osulloc? And I didn’t know about this?” Chanyeol asked.

“Shouldn’t you be dry-humping Sehun or something?” Kyungsoo snapped.

“Ouch,” Chanyeol pouted, placing a hand over his heart. “That was mean.”

“It’s because he could also use some dry humping, don’t take it to heart,” Baekhyun quipped, flinching when Kyungsoo curled his fingers into a fist. Insufferable, annoying, absolutely fucking obnoxious.

“I hope you choke on Junmyeon’s dick,” he growled.

“Oh, he’s too busy practicing for his theater class to even let me near his dick right now,” said Baekhyun, complete with a dramatic sniffle.

“Oh man, dick withdrawal? That’s tough,” said Chanyeol, reaching over to pat Baekhyun on the back, but Kyungsoo swatted his hand away.

“I hate both of you,” he hissed, folding his arms across his chest and glaring at the stage.

People were starting to file in, taking up the six rows of neatly placed chairs. He spotted Naoko making her way to their row, sitting at the corner. So she _wasn’t_ performing? But she was wearing her leotard… Kyungsoo narrowed his eyes at her, deep in thought.

“If you had lasers in your eyes you’d have sliced her head in half by now,” said Baekhyun.

“Lasers,” repeated Chanyeol, already dissolved in a fit of laughter.

“Oh,” Kyungsoo mumbled, because he forgot he could be a little menacing with his near-sightedness. It had scared Jongin, after all, when they’d first met, all those years ago. At the thought of Jongin (when they were the same height, which made Kyungsoo kind of mad but not really, because now he could be little spoon), shy and sweet and so cute, Kyungsoo’s ears heated up. It really had been infatuation at first sight. Which had morphed into a crush. And _stayed_ a crush, because it would be pathetic if he admitted it was more than that (even though he had, to himself, more than once). He still had the memory of sitting close to Jongin for the first time, seeing him properly, and being fascinated with the shape of his lips, how soft and beautiful they looked and—

And now the lights in the room were dimming. And the music was starting; the soft, sensuous notes of Gooey. Jongin was the first to come out, slow, measured steps to the center, and oh, they all had makeup on. Jongin had on contacts, some light color (Kyungsoo was too far to make it out and he had, of course, forgotten his glasses), and dark, dramatic eye makeup. He was practically glowing. Taemin, Yixing, and Chittaphon followed, dancing in a squared formation. Then they slowed and the music changed to the fast, steady beat of Je Cours. Kyungsoo was enraptured by Jongin, the sharp strength of his movements, the precision with which he moved, passionate and lost to the music. And there was also the small matter of Jongin’s sweaty arms glowing in the strong lights. Which Kyungsoo totally was _not_ hot and bothered about. Of course not. Alright, maybe a _little_. So enraptured was he that he almost didn’t notice the music changing back to Gooey, and he definitely didn’t notice Naoko slipping out to go backstage.

Once the song finished and the dancers lined up to bow, applause erupted from the (fairly small, it was midterm season) audience, and Baekhyun and Chanyeol were on their feet. Chanyeol pulled Kyungsoo to his feet, ignoring the sputter of protest, indignant at being manhandled by him. Jongin tiptoed over to them, flashing them a gorgeous bright smile. Oh, how it made Kyungsoo’s knees weak. He returned the smile, stupidly, ears on fire.

“Dude, the flowers,” Baekhyun whispered.

Oh, right. Kyungsoo shot down to pick them up (and almost face planted into Jongin’s crotch, nice), holding the roses out awkwardly. Jongin stared at them, open-mouthed.

“It’s stupid, I know. Sorry, this was probably a bad idea, super corny—”

“What? No! I love it,” said Jongin, taking the roses.

He buried his nose in them, peeking at Kyungsoo over the petals.

“Ah, heh, well I’m glad you like them,” said Kyungsoo, feeling the heat in his cheeks.

And of course, of course, Jongin had to kiss him then. A soft kiss, then deep one, both of them sweaty and a little awkward with the roses between them, but wonderful nonetheless.

“Hey, butthead, we gotta go backstage,” Taemin shouted, clapping Jongin on the shoulder. “Oh gross, sweaty.”

“Fuck you, stupid,” said Jongin, frowning when Taemin stuck out his tongue.

“Hey, be nice,” said Kyungsoo.

“I’d say the same!” Baekhyun squawked.

“I’ll join you in a bit,” Jongin hissed, rolling his eyes when Taemin made a face at him.

“Oh, but there’s no seat,” said Kyungsoo.

The lights were already dimmed again, and most everyone had taken their seats.

“It’s fine, I’ll sit at your feet,” Jongin whispered, sitting cross-legged on the floor.

Kyungsoo sat too, widening his legs to let Jongin sidle close. He totally was _not_ thinking about the fact that Jongin’s head was between his thighs right now because come on, Kyungsoo, you’re in a room full of other people and he’s facing the wrong way. But of course he had those thoughts anyway, of bite marks on his thighs and Jongin making his way up hungrily—

Sweater Weather started. Jongin scoffed, shaking his head.

“What’s wrong?” Kyungsoo asked, leaning down to get close to Jongin’s ear.

“They- oh, oops,” he chuckled. He’d turned around to whisper back, miscalculated, and nearly crashed into Kyungsoo. Well, his lips almost crashed into Kyungsoo’s lips. Which Kyungsoo would not have minded. “It’s such a corny song to use now, everyone and their mother uses it.”

“Emphasis on their mother,” said Kyungsoo when Naoko danced her way out.

Jongin snorted, hiding his laughter in the roses. Kyungsoo flicked the back of his neck as a warning, but really, it was Kyungsoo’s fault Jongin was sweating into the flowers now.

The dance was underwhelming; what was not underwhelming was Jongin resting his cheek against Kyungsoo’s thigh, sweat sticking to Kyungsoo’s pants, which _gross_ , except maybe not so much. Kyungsoo fished a pack of tissues from his pocket, sticking them to Jongin’s neck. Jongin jumped, gave him a wide-eyed look, then a wide grin. He grabbed one, sticking it under his bangs, then another to wipe the sweat off the rest of his face before taking his place against Kyungsoo’s thigh. Kyungsoo patted the tissues against Jongin’s neck, before balling the tissues and dropping them on the floor next to Jongin (but he would throw them out after, he wasn’t a slob). Then he began to knead Jongin’s neck absentmindedly. He felt Jongin sigh, readjust his cheek against Kyungsoo’s thigh. Mental note: give Jongin a proper massage back at Jongin’s dorm once Jongin had showered (because Kyungsoo was the mom friend, not because he liked oiling the golden expanse of Jongin’s back _at all_ ).

But Kyungsoo’s daydreams of muscle rippling under gold were interrupted by the polite clapping of the audience. Jongin jolted upright, untangling his legs to stand.

“Let’s get out before she-” but he didn’t need to finish.

He grabbed Kyungsoo’s hand, darting for backstage. A confused Baekhyun and Chanyeol were left in their wake. It didn’t take long for Jongin to gather his things, but Kyungsoo still felt awkward standing by the door, roses in hand.

“What are we gonna do for dinner?” Kyungsoo asked, half buried between the red petals.

“Uh, I thought you had that figured out?” Jongin asked, a hopeful smile on his face.

“If I remember correctly, you lost the race to the dorms,” Kyungsoo teased, fluttering his eyelashes when Jongin scowled at him.

“Only because you cheated,” he grumbled.

“You tripped, how is that my fault?” Kyungsoo squawked.

Jongin narrowed his eyes at Kyungsoo, but instead of deigning him with a reply, he pulled him out of the backstage room.

“Dinner?” Chanyeol squawked, because of course he and Baekhyun had decided to wait for them right outside backstage.

“Can I get a break?” Jongin grumbled.

Kyungsoo smacked his arm lightly. Spoiled brat. Jongin pouted, but shrugged on the bag and led them outside.

“Okay so dinner?” Baekhyun asked.

Of course he would. Jongin gave him a nasty glare, but couldn’t hold back the laughter when Baekhyun faked a sob.

“We’ll figure it out, let me just think for a bit,” said Jongin.

 

-

 

And think he did. He would’ve liked a more glamorous dinner, but between the sweat and the makeup, Jongin opted for takeout at his room. So there they were, Jongin freshly showered, pressed against Kyungsoo’s side, Baekhyun on the desk chair with a leg over the armrest, and Chanyeol on the bean bag on the floor (yes, Jongin and Kyungsoo had matching bean bags; they’d gotten them together when dorm shopping). Jongin picked a stray grain of rice off his lap, freezing, tongue mid-air, when Kyungsoo looked at him.

“Why don’t you just throw it out?” he grumbled.

Jongin ate the grain, smiling when Kyungsoo scrunched his nose.

“It was _one_ grain of rice and it fell on my lap,” Jongin sniffed. “No big deal.”

“Yeah, whatever,” said Kyungsoo, brushing something off Jongin’s cheekbone, and Jongin practically melted; soft touches always made him unravel. “Eyelash,” Kyungsoo said defensively when he noticed Baekhyun and Chanyeol were watching.

“Mm, sure,” said Chanyeol, screaming when Kyungsoo threw a balled up napkin at him.

“Yah, be quiet, stupid, or I’ll get a noise complaint,” said Jongin.

Chanyeol pointed at Kyungsoo, clearly indignant, but Kyungsoo just gave Jongin a cute smile. Ugh, damn him.

“He’s done nothing wrong,” Jongin said softly, beaming at the bashful smile Kyungsoo gave him.

“I actually don’t prefer this,” Chanyeol grumbled.

“Huh?” Kyungsoo glared at him.

Chanyeol stared at him, eyes darting to Baekhyun and back.

“Nothing,” he said far too quickly.

Kyungsoo leaned forward, but Jongin pushed him back gently, placing a kiss on Kyungsoo’s temple. He gave Jongin a look of wide-eyed surprise. Ugh, how cute. Jongin placed another peck on Kyungsoo’s nose.

“He’s not worth it, hyung,” said Jongin.

Kyungsoo gave him a warm smile, cheeks pink and went back to his food.

“I take it back, I prefer this,” said Chanyeol, quickly stuffing his mouth with food when Kyungsoo gave him another dirty look. Except it was so cute, his cheeks bulging with the last spoonful of rice, brow furrowed, a slight pout on his pink lips.

“I think I’m gonna need a little bit of your finger magic, hyung,” said Jongin, biting into the chicken.

“Aye,” said Baekhyun, wiggling his eyebrows. “Wait no, Kyungsoo is the bottom here, you’re supposed to provide the finger magic.”

“You are so lucky I’m eating right now,” Kyungsoo hissed, shooting the most menacing look he could muster.

Jongin only stared at his food, chewing with a little too much concentration because he was most certainly _not_ thinking about what Kyungsoo’s plump ass would look like with his fingers fucking it, certainly _not_ thinking about Kyungsoo’s face twisted in pleasure and moaning softly, fingers digging into the sheets—

He choked on his rice. How smooth. Kyungsoo was smacking his back, waiting for the coughs to die down, and offered him a sip of his kiwi strawberry Snapple (which was entirely too sweet but Jongin didn’t have the heart to tell him that).

“I’m okay,” he croaked, sniffling.

“Are you sure?” Kyungsoo asked, and oh, he always looked so soft and cute when he was concerned.

“It was just some rice, Soo, it’s alright,” said Jongin.

Kyungsoo relaxed against him, but he still had the cutest of pouts.

“Be careful,” he said.

“Be careful,” Baekhyun mocked, making kissy sounds.

Kyungsoo slid off the bed, balancing his container on the corner of Jongin’s nightstand.

“Wait, wait. No, I’m sorry! Ah! Please! I want to live! I’m too young to di- ahaa!” Baekhyun flinched, curling into a ball when Kyungsoo stood next to him.

“You’re gonna make a mess of the food,” said Kyungsoo, extracting the plate from Baekhyun’s lap, a difficult feat considering Baekhyun was a mess of limbs, still whimpering although Kyungsoo hadn’t done anything.

“No, that’s alright, I think I’ll just take it with me and go,” said Baekhyun. “Junmyeon is probably hungry and worried about me and waiting for me to get home—”

“I thought you said he was busy,” said Chanyeol, freezing when Baekhyun flipped him off behind Kyungsoo’s back.

“Exactly. _Was_ busy. As in, is not anymore. So I can,” he slipped out of the chair, tugging on his plate of food, “leave now. Thank you. I’ll take that.”

But Kyungsoo wouldn’t give up the plate.

“Jongin, help me,” Baekhyun whined, kicking his feet.

“What makes you think I can help?” Jongin asked, sipping his soda.

“Eeek!” Baekhyun grimaced when Kyungsoo grabbed his arm. “Jongin-ah do someTHING!”

“Ugh, fine,” Jongin slipped off the bed, placing his plate on the desk.

He walked up to Kyungsoo, who was already smiling and damn if he didn’t look hot doing so.

“Hyung, please let Baekhyun go,” Jongin said in a flat voice.

“I hate you, Kim Jongin,” Baekhyun groaned.

Kyungsoo was giggling by now, his grip on the plate loose.

“Kyungsoo,” said Jongin, slipping behind him to wrap his arms around him. “ _Please_ let Baekhyun go.”

He nuzzled Kyungsoo’s neck for good measure, smiling at Kyungsoo’s small squeal.

“Ugh, fine, go away,” said Kyungsoo, handing the plate to Baekhyun.

“Yah, Chanyeol, pack your shit, let’s go,” he snapped, closing up the food and placing it into the bag.

When they were at the door, slipping on their shoes, Baekhyun glanced back, a mischievous twinkle in his eyes.

“Maybe let Kyungsoo do the work tonight, yeah?” he said with a wicked grin.

“Huh?”

“Well, Jongin exhausted himself dancing, can’t expect him to do all the work. You’ve got some solid thighs though- ah! Bye Jongin!” Baekhyun threw open the door (and knocked Chanyeol back), running towards the elevators. But thankfully, Jongin still had his arms wrapped around Kyungsoo, so he held him back, even as Kyungsoo wiggled and squirmed to get out.

“Ow, alright,” Chanyeol grumbled, rubbing his arm. “G’night guys.”

Once Chanyeol was gone, Jongin let go.

“I’m going to _end_ him,” Kyungsoo hissed.

“Hey,” said Jongin, tugging on Kyungsoo’s sleeve.

Kyungsoo shot him a dirty look.

“Let’s just eat, and then maybe you could help me out with a massage, and we can call it a night,” he said.

He really hoped Kyungsoo would say yes; he slept better with Kyungsoo curled up against him (not to mention the few times Kyungsoo ended up using him as a pillow).

“Maybe not,” Kyungsoo said softly, once the heat had left his eyes. “I should probably go, too.”

Jongin’s shoulders sagged.

“Oh, okay,” he tried a smile, but it wasn’t very convincing.

“I’ll still give you the massage, you don’t have to look so disappointed,” Kyungsoo teased.

“Mm, I guess I’ll accept it,” said Jongin with a wink.


	7. Part 7

(AN: HEY!!!! YEAH!!!! I've posted TWO chapters today so make sure you read PART SIX before you read this part!!)

 

For some reason or another (Kyungsoo wasn’t too diligent with keeping up with holidays), they had a long weekend. Long weekends meant marathoning shows in Kyungsoo’s room (because Jongin claimed it was comfier than his own), between bowls of popcorn and shrimp chips and ice cream and takeout and an assortment of fruity candies and chocolate. Jongin was sprawled on the bed, which meant Kyungsoo didn’t have much of a choice but to curl up half on top of him, legs tucked underneath himself. They were a third of the way through the fourth season of Person of Interest, high-strung and tense. Kyungsoo was, of course, stress-eating; he’d just started munching on the third bowl of popcorn, fingers buttery and shining in the low light of the room. Jongin would open his mouth from time to time, and Kyungsoo would feed him (it was instinct at this point, a habit so ingrained in him he didn’t think much of it).

But then Kyungsoo miscalculated and Jongin was left to chase the popcorn between Kyungsoo’s fingers. Shaw is in the middle of helping the crew open the safe they’d robbed; Jongin’s tongue against his finger isn’t quite enough to snap him away from the laptop screen yet. But then he feels Jongin’s teeth and he drops the popcorn, nearly knocking the bowl over. It hadn’t hurt, just caught him off guard, but he was still looking at the small indent on his thumb.

“W-what the fuck?” Kyungsoo asked.

Jongin looked just as startled.

“I was just trying to get the popcorn but you kept moving your hand,” Jongin said with a magnificent pout.

“Oh.”

Right. Because that made far more sense than the other thoughts Kyungsoo was having. He had to stop listening to Baekhyun talk about his biting kink.

“You could take it from the bowl, you know,” said Kyungsoo.

“But then my hands would be full of butter,” Jongin whined.

“Oh, so I’m supposed to get my hands dirty so you can eat popcorn?” Kyungsoo snapped.

Jongin opened his mouth to reply, but he saw the fire in Kyungsoo’s eyes and chose to stay quiet. There was a defeated slump in his shoulders, and the look he gave Kyungsoo was definitely apologetic. Oops. Kyungsoo sighed; he’d been brusque with Jongin these past few days, and couldn’t quite explain why.

“Sorry,” he said softly.

“It’s fine,” Jongin mumbled, grabbing a handful of popcorn.

It took the rest of the episode for Kyungsoo to relax again, sinking into Jongin’s side. But then Jongin relaxed, too. He wrapped an arm around Kyungsoo, burying his face in Kyungsoo’s hair.

“You better not be getting butter in my hair,” Kyungsoo grumbled.

Jongin laughed into his hair, but switched to resting his cheek on Kyungsoo’s head.

“Can’t promise anything,” Jongin murmured, his other hand resting on Kyungsoo’s bare thigh.

Because Kyungsoo didn’t wear pants in his room. Which all of a sudden seemed like a really bad and stupid idea. It was odd; he’d never felt so self-conscious before, so aware of how Jongin touched him, and where. Jongin had, in the past, smacked his ass a few times, but three days ago he’d done it and it made Kyungsoo go berserk. Each kiss, each caress was now torturous, because with each intimate touch he was more aware of how much he wanted all of this to be real. And now Jongin was dragging his fingertips along Kyungsoo’s bare skin, sometimes pausing to softly squeeze his thigh, thumb continuing its ministrations. Kyungsoo took a deep breath, concentrating on Finch’s pinched face on the screen, but apparently Jongin’s intention was to drive him nuts because Jongin then slipped his hand up Kyungsoo’s shirt to rest it on his waist.

He cursed, shoving Jongin off of him (and almost upending the popcorn bowl again). Jongin gave him a puzzled look, and Kyungsoo swore he saw a little hurt laced in with the confusion.

“What’s wrong?” he asked.

Kyungsoo stared at him, at the bit of worry that was marring his brow, at the subtlest pout that was forming; he didn’t know what to do. It was stupid, all of this, immature and ridiculous, but Kyungsoo decided, in that moment, with Jongin reaching for the napkin and the scuffle of a fight from the laptop speaker, that enough was enough.

“I can’t,” he said.

Jongin paused, blinking at him.

“Can’t what?”

“Can’t keep pretending we’re boyfriends,” Kyungsoo rushed.

Jongin froze, and Kyungsoo swore that it was the smallest glimmer of hope he was seeing in Jongin’s eyes but that was stupid; hope for what?

“Oh,” was all he said.

Then silence. Awkward, terrible, ugly silence. Kyungsoo had paused the show, licking the salt and butter off his lips.

Then…

“Why?”

And there it was. Kyungsoo had thought this far, other times, when he’d considered bringing this up, but his brain was short-circuiting. Come on, you’ve thought of a thousand excuses and now you can’t even think of one; Kyungsoo cursed himself for being so forgetful sometimes. But then—

“Because we accomplished what we set out to do,” said Kyungsoo. He felt very logical, then, sensible, practical, a realist in every sense. “We’ve shooed off all the annoying people that wanted to date you.”

Jongin raised an eyebrow. Oh, no. He knew that look. That was the I’m-going-to-demolish-your-argument look.

“If we stop, they’ll assume I’m single again,” he started, “which means they’ll start making my life miserable again.”

“But it’s been three months—”

“That’s not a very long relationship!” Jongin retorted.

“It doesn’t matter! Just act miserable or something, act like the breakup devastated you,” Kyungsoo snapped. “But I’m done. I did what you asked me to do. And now I’m done.”

Not very eloquent, but he had the feeling he had to be firm or Jongin would keep poking holes in his logic. Done was done, right? Jongin opened his mouth to speak again and Kyungsoo bristled.

“Okay,” said Jongin.

Kyungsoo winced. Okay, maybe he wanted Jongin to put up more of a fight to keep him. Except that wouldn’t make sense because they weren’t actually together. But Jongin, well, he looked…sad. Genuinely heartbroken. He was only cleaning the butter off his fingers but it was in the slump of his back, the way he was staring with such intensity at his hands, the way he was gnawing his bottom lip. Kyungsoo swore he saw Jongin blink back tears, but no. That wasn’t right. They weren’t actually a couple. This wasn’t a real breakup. They weren’t actually a couple. Kyungsoo got down from the bed to clean up all the snacks; to keep busy, so he wouldn’t have to look at Jongin moping. He stubbed his toe with the nightstand and let out a spectacular fuck.

“I’ll help you clean,” Jongin said softly and oh, fuck, his voice cracked.

No. This was over. This ruse was over.

“It’s fine, I’d just rather be alone right now,” said Kyungsoo.

Alone to let out the sting of tears, to hug his pillow tight and regret this decision monumentally. Alone so he wouldn’t have to feel guilty because why the fuck did Jongin look so miserable if this wasn’t real. So he rolled up the bag of shrimp chips slowly, crinkling it far more than he should because it was too quiet in the room, even with Jongin’s soft steps. Next, the bags of popcorn (and as he looked at them he knew his stomach would hate him for the night, even without the stress of what he’d just done), balled up unceremoniously (a stupid choice, now Kyungsoo had buttery fingers again) and stuffed into the garbage bag. He was halfway through slowly rolling up the Haribo bears bag when Jongin’s soft hey interrupted him.

“I guess I’ll be going now,” he said.

Kyungsoo didn’t turn around. He couldn’t. No, he wouldn’t, because if he did he’d lose it, he’d beg for forgiveness as if this were real and this was a breakup and his heart had a reason for breaking. But Jongin made that choice for him, gave him a sweet, brief hug and one (just one) lingering kiss on the cheek and he was gone.

It took approximately all of ten seconds for Kyungsoo to sniffle. But he wouldn’t cry. What for? Jongin wasn’t his boyfriend. This had all been an elaborate ruse.

It wasn’t real.

But that didn’t mean Kyungsoo’s love was not. He didn’t want to think about that now, but what else would he think about? If he thought about Jongin, his heart would beat too fast and the pressure of tears would build and his breaths would get ragged and the sob would come out but he could not let it. To cry would mean to recognize that this was a real relationship, that Kyungsoo was stupid enough to fall in love, to fall more in love with Jongin; to recognize that every moment he spent with Jongin for the past three months was a high Kyungsoo never wanted to come down from. But he couldn’t deny it; he was crashing, and it was a crash far more terrible than any other. The instant the door shut he was going through withdrawal; his thoughts refused to cooperate. He kept thinking of tomorrow, of waking up and greeting Jongin with a sweet kiss and eating breakfast with him and spending the afternoon in a blanket pile with Jongin wrapped around him. He wiped the tears from his face angrily (and, oh fuck, he was going to break out, now there was butter on his cheeks) and went to the bathroom to wash his hands and face. The cold water didn’t help much. His cheeks were splotchy and his eyes rimmed red. It took a minute of staring at himself in the mirror, sniffling miserably, to decide the best thing to do was curl up and go to sleep. So he went to bed and did.

 

-

 

He was fighting a losing battle. As Jongin waited for the elevators, he stared at the ceiling, willing the tears to wait at least until he got to his room, but of course they didn’t. He hissed, wincing when the first tear fell, hot and wet, nearly falling into his ear which made him angry because stupid tear. But it was a silly thing to be angry about, and the anger passed in a moment, leaving him exhausted. He wiped the trail away, sniffing, and concentrated on his shoes. If the ceiling couldn’t keep his tears in, maybe the ground could. But of course, that didn’t work out either. Gravity pulled them from his eyes, and soon his sneakers had damp spots on them. The elevator finally dinged; he hoped no one was on it, he didn’t want to feel the inevitable awkward concern radiating off a stranger.

Thankfully, it was empty. He focused on the flickering light, on the stain in the carpet, on the button that no longer lit up, anything to keep him from thinking about Kyungsoo, but fuck, there went his thoughts, chasing after the feeling of loss, of the bewildered look in Kyungsoo’s eyes moments before he said they were done. It was done. They weren’t, because they hadn’t been real, but…

But were they done? Did this mean they were no longer even friends? Jongin frowned at the elevator doors; he was on the first floor, miraculously tear free, but it wasn’t going to last long. It was cold out, a crisp, clear night, but Jongin didn’t bother closing his jacket. Perhaps the cold would chase away the tears; it didn’t. He began walking at a brisk pace, sniffling.

He was a fool. A whole idiot. Could he blame Kyungsoo for not wanting to be his friend anymore? Jongin had asked too much of him, it hadn’t been fair. And Jongin had definitely gone overboard. Yes, now that he thought back on the displays of affection, it was so stupidly, clearly obvious. He’d let his crush get to his head. It was no wonder Kyungsoo looked so startled sometimes. He should’ve asked if it was okay, if Kyungsoo was okay, but he’d been so caught up in this because he loved Kyungsoo, because this was what he’d wanted most but of course Kyungsoo didn’t love him back. Jongin tried to cover the sob with his hand, furiously drying his cheeks. He was almost at his dorm, almost in the wonderful solitude of his room.

He opted for the stairs, taking them two at a time, and slipped inside his room. The jacket he threw over the desk chair and his shoes he kicked off carelessly; he tripped over one of the sneakers, cursed it out, and kicked it aside. That, of course, left him with a throbbing toe.

But now he could throw himself on his bed, a belly flop into the comforter, face buried in his pillow, to let out the worst of the sobs. He didn’t know how long it took for him to calm down; when he sat up, the pillowcase was sopping wet, a mess of tears and snot and drool most likely, and his head throbbed. A quick look in the bathroom mirror confirmed his suspicions: his face was a swollen mess, red and puffy-eyed. He downed half a water bottle then curled up on the bed again.

It was all his fault. If he hadn’t come up with that monumentally stupid idea then this wouldn’t have happened. He wouldn’t have lost Kyungsoo (a small part of him hoped that wasn’t true, Kyungsoo was still his friend, right?). Better to pine for him forever and keep his friendship than to have had him (but not really, it wasn’t real) and lost him. Stupid Jongin and his stupid thirst; if he’d at least been brave enough to confess he would’ve felt better but now Kyungsoo thought he was a first rate creep and would avoid him.

He fished his phone out of his pocket. He’d (stupidly) changed his lock screen to the picture of Kyungsoo at Osulloc, lips adorably puckered to take a sip of tea (Kyungsoo had probably noticed and thought him a creep, did they need to be that thorough?). There were all the other pictures, too. Of the amusement park, of the Thai restaurant, of Kyungsoo curled up against him, of Kyungsoo eating fries at lunch, of Kyungsoo with a penguin plushie, of Kyungsoo in the yellow and orange sweater, of Kyungsoo posing with the seals from the local aquarium. It was too much Kyungsoo, and for a moment Jongin was tempted to delete them all.

He didn’t. He wrote an apology text, a mammoth of a text that he rewrote four times, only to delete it entirely. Kyungsoo needed time. Yes. It was best if Jongin gave him some space, let him breathe, before he said anything. With that, he turned off the lights, threw the comforter over his head, and went to sleep.


	8. Part 8

**(AN: So like, I really don't like this chapter, which is why it took me so long to get this posted. It's a bit fillery, but I hope you guys enjoy it anyway. We're also nearing the end!!! I'm gonna miss this ㅎㅎ)**

 

But in the week since Kyungsoo had unofficially dumped Jongin, nothing had changed for the better. He was still miserable, still avoiding Jongin and avoiding Baekhyun (because if anyone would make him confront this ugly mess it would be Baekhyun), still missing Jongin immensely. He hadn’t realized just how much time they were spending together until he had to find other ways to fill it. Most of the time he opted for eating mango sorbet right from the pint while curled up in bed; sometimes he would make a blanket cave around the bean bag and curl up inside to binge watch shows (and he would _not_ under any circumstances think about how Jongin would be curled up beside him, destroying the blanket cave in an effort to squeeze his long legs inside). On the morning exactly a week after the not-break up, he scowled at himself in the mirror and decided enough was enough. He shouldn’t have been so glum, so melodramatic with his sniffling and snuffling, especially when it had only been _a week_. He needed to stop, to pull himself out of this spiral (all of this was prompted by the realization that’d he’d eaten exactly one pint of mango sorbet per day since the not-break up).

He needed to get out of the dorms. But—

But with who? He’d been glued to Jongin’s side for the past three months; he couldn’t call Baekhyun, nor could he call Junmyeon because Junmyeon would bring Baekhyun and would give Kyungsoo a sad, fatherly look while Baekhyun handed his ass to him; he couldn’t call Sehun and Chanyeol, because Chanyeol would just give him pitiful looks the whole time, and Sehun…well, Sehun would be his usual bratty self, which would be a welcome distraction. That left Jaehwan and Hyunsik, Kyungsoo’s casual friends, the “I don’t have another choice” friends (that was Baekhyun’s name for them). So he called them.

They met at the movie theater, and of course Jaehwan laughed at Kyungsoo when he arrived. No hello, no how are you, just an annoying, braying laugh.

“I know it’s cold out bro, but what the fuck?” Jaehwan guffawed, “I can’t even see you under all that shit.

Right. _That’s_ why he didn’t hang out with them often. Hyunsik flashed him a bright smile, and Kyungsoo has a weird feeling about it but it passes.

“Let’s see you laugh when you get pneumonia, fuck face,” Kyungsoo spat.

 _That_ made Hyunsik laugh, and Jaehwan pulled a face.

“Let’s just go inside, yeah?” Jaehwan grumbled.

Perhaps Jaehwan had a point. Now Kyungsoo had to peel off all the layers, the scarf, the hat, the big bubble jacket, one of his sweaters. They watched him as he did, and he sucked his teeth.

“Can you maybe go be useful and pick up the tickets or something?” he hissed.

“Wow, somebody is grumpy as fuck today, huh,” Jaehwan whistled.

“Go get the tickets, stupid,” said Hyunsik, shooing him off.

“Thanks.”

Hyunsik gave him another bright smile, and Kyungsoo looked away. The heat of the theater was still a little uncomfortable, but at least it concealed the redness of his ears.

“You look—”

“Don’t say it,” Kyungsoo sighed.

Hyunsik smiled apologetically; it made him think of Jongin’s sheepish smiles, when he’d stolen Kyungsoo’s nachos or eaten the last of the caramel M&M’s or accidentally gotten soda on the table because he somehow forgot how to drink with a straw. And now Kyungsoo was feeling just as gross as he had been in his room.

“Come on, you uglies, I want a big ass bucket of popcorn,” said Jaehwan, popping up behind Hyunsik.

“Don’t scare me like that, asshole.”

“You scare me with your face on the daily, so I don’t know what you’re complaining about,” Jaehwan sniffed.

Hyunsik only rolled his eyes and pulled them towards the line. The scent of popcorn only aggravated his mood, because of course he was thinking of how strongly it smelled of popcorn in his room when he decided enough was enough, and how Jongin had smeared a bit of butter and salt onto his cheek with that soft, sad kiss and—

“Dude, what are you getting?” Jaehwan poked Kyungsoo’s cheek.

Kyungsoo snarled at him.

“Don’t touch me.”

“Right, okay. What are you getting?”

“Nachos. And a coke,” Kyungsoo grumbled.

He went back to his sulking, until he realized Hyunsik was pulling out his wallet.

“Wait, I’m paying for myself,” Kyungsoo sputtered, reaching for Hyunsik’s wallet.

“No, you aren’t,” Hyunsik said simply, holding Kyungsoo back and why the fuck did all of Kyungsoo’s friends have such long arms, now he couldn’t reach the wallet.

“Hyunsik, I swear—”

“It’s _fine_ , Kyungsoo, go get the soda. Vanilla Coke for me,” said Hyunsik, pointing at the cups.

“Vanilla like your taste in sex,” Jaehwan snickered.

Right. That was Kyungsoo’s cue to leave. He took the cups and turned on his heel, stomping (as best he could without dropping his things) towards the soda machines. With a little maneuvering, he filled them both, plopped on the covers, and wedged the straws into his back pocket.

They made him sit between them, which Kyungsoo hated. Hyunsik was all too nice, and though it was too dark to see Kyungsoo could _feel_ the looks Hyunsik kept sending his way. It made his skin crawl. It made him miss Jongin. With Jongin, they would go to the back row and Kyungsoo would feed him popcorn and Jongin would play with Kyungsoo’s hair and they’d share a soda and whisper a few lame jokes one each others ears. But Hyunsik’s mere presence annoyed him, and the jostling of Jaehwan’s knee whenever he bounced it, and Hyunsik mistakenly taking a sip of Kyungsoo’s soda. If not for the money already spent, Kyungsoo would’ve walked out.

 

They went to the noodle place afterwards, at Hyunsik’s request (“Popcorn always fucks up my stomach, man”), and picked a table on the second floor, with a view of the avenue. The movie theater lights twinkled against the glass, and soon snow began to fall, light and nearly imperceptible.

“Dude, this was the best idea,” Jaehwan said around a mouthful of egg noodles.

“I told you so,” Hyunsik retorted, slurping broth from the spoon.

Kyungsoo toyed with his rice cake ramen, blowing on the noodles more than he needed to.

“Why are you so mopey?” Jaehwan finally asked, because he was about as subtle as a sledgehammer.

Hyunsik winced and glanced at Kyungsoo, eyes full of concern, but Kyungsoo ignored him.

“Jongin and I, uh…” he took a noodle between his teeth and slurped it, scrunching his nose when broth splattered onto his chin.

“Oh. _Oh_. Dude, I’m so sorry,” said Jaehwan, clapping him on the shoulder.

Hyunsik looked…it was hard to tell. Part of it looked like genuine sadness, but the other part looked like…hope? That didn’t seem right. All this figuring emotions out made his head hurt, so he sunk his teeth into a rice cake.

“There’s no need,” said Kyungsoo with a chuckle.

“Wait, what?” said Jaehwan.

Kyungsoo tried to ignore the bit of noodle that had flown from Jaehwan’s mouth and landed on the table, but he couldn’t.

“It wasn’t real,” he said softly.

“That’s…harsh.”

“No, I mean, we weren’t actually boyfriends. He asked me to pretend to be his boyfriend,” Kyungsoo explained, and it was almost funny the way their faces morphed from bewilderment to absolute shock.

“Why the fuck?” Hyunsik nearly snarled, and it made Kyungsoo sit back in surprise.

“He was getting really annoyed with all those chicks not taking the hint about him being gay, so he asked me to pretend to be in a relationship with him so he could, y’know, get them to leave him alone,” said Kyungsoo.

He didn’t know why he was bothering to defend Jongin. Except, what was he defending Jongin from? This irrational anger from Hyunsik?

Jaehwan chuckled.

“What is this, man, The Proposal?” he asked, shaking his head.

They ignored him.

“Even knowing you liked him?” Hyunsik hissed.

The rice cake fell from Kyungsoo’s mouth.

“Wait, I never said—”

“ _Dude_ , that’s so fucked up,” said Jaehwan.

“He doesn’t know I like him. How do _you_ know I like him?” Kyungsoo asked, frowning.

Jaehwan snorted.

“Oh, wait, you’re asking for real.”

“Uh… everyone and their mother knows you like him,” said Hyunsik.

Oh, fuck. That couldn’t be right. If it was, that was bad. Really bad. Kyungsoo felt the heat creeping up his neck again. He had half a mind to ask Baekhyun, but he knew the answer he’d get.

“And everyone and their mother knows _he_ likes _you_ ,” said Jaehwan, waving his chopsticks in Kyungsoo’s face.

“Wait, _what_?” Kyungsoo asked, staring at them both.

Jaehwan and Hyunsik exchanged incredulous looks. Alright, maybe the surprise was a bit much; it wasn’t the first time he’d heard people murmur that Jongin liked him, but that didn’t mean it was _true_. Lots of people thought they’d been a couple for years, so clearly public opinion couldn’t be trusted (Kyungsoo ignored the voice in his head that reminded him that Baekhyun had also, repeatedly, told him Jongin had a huge crush on him; he was just teasing, right?).

“Bro…”

“If it was fake, why are you so miserable?” Hyunsik asked.

Jaehwan gasped (stupid, Kyungsoo wanted to yell at him), and Kyungsoo gripped the chopsticks so tightly it made his palm sweaty.

“I-I’m not—”

“ _Bro_ …”

“Come on, you’ve been quiet this whole time,” said Hyunsik. “You only ate half your nachos—”

“Oh shit, you’re right,” Jaehwan murmured.

“Shut up,” Kyungsoo hissed at him.

“You’ve looked like a kicked puppy since you got here, and you won’t stop checking your phone, which, by the way, has a picture of Jongin as the wallpaper!”

Fuck, Kyungsoo was hoping they hadn’t noticed. He’d debated changing it all week, but he couldn’t bring himself to get rid of Jongin’s smiling face surrounded by bear plushies.

“It wasn’t—”

“Then why are you so upset?”

“I’m _not,_ for fuck’s sake, now drop it,” Kyungsoo shouted.

They were quiet; some of the other customers were looking at them now, and the waiter looked at them, bug eyed. Kyungsoo went back to his food, angrily shoving a rice cake into his mouth (and trying to act like he didn’t just burn a hole in his mouth by doing that). And that naturally reminded him of the many times he warned Jongin to wait for his soup to cool, and the inevitable yelp that followed when Jongin would shove the food into his mouth anyway because “hyung, your food is just too fucking _good_ ” (while he moaned, which always made Kyungsoo blush). Everything reminded him of Jongin, despite his firm decision to _not_ think about anything Jongin related; it was useless to think he could escape thoughts of Jongin, when Jongin was so thoroughly entrenched in his life. He’d seeped into every aspect, left his mark on all parts of Kyungsoo’s life as haphazardly and fully as a paint-covered toddler staining the furniture (it was an odd comparison, but Jongin was as time-consuming and sweet as a toddler, with all his pouts and whines). With a defeated sigh, Kyungsoo put down his chopsticks, apologized to Jaehwan and Hyunsik, and left.

 

_

 

Jongin was a mess. It was just his luck that any bouts of sadness he experienced were always accompanied by inexplicable horniness. That, of course, led to really depressing fap sessions, but it also led to really intense periods of dance practice. He had a playlist for moments like this, when he needed to wallow in his own misery and self-pity, while burning out any form of desire. He’d been in the studio every day since Kyungsoo put an end to them, whatever _them_ was or had been.

But it hadn’t been working. Because despite the bone deep exhaustion that had settled in him, despite the fact that he left the studio every day soaked in sweat, he couldn’t stop the flood of thoughts. It was a mess, the emotions he felt, and that meant he was a mess. It usually started as frustration, because he’d messaged Kyungsoo at least once a day every day, apologies and explanations that went ignored. Then it morphed into guilt, because why would Kyungsoo forgive him? There was no reason for him to, not when Jongin had been so obvious about his own crush. Now Jongin was in the lustful phase, that phase inevitably caused by the lack of touch, the lack of intimacy that was so sudden after three months of Kyungsoo’s divine plump limps, of Kyungsoo’s wonderfully ample thighs and ass straddling his lap. That was usually the shortest phase, but today Jongin found it harder to dance through; maybe it was because he’d glimpsed Kyungsoo today, with his beautiful, big, sad eyes and a magnificent pout.

But once that passed, he was back to the guilt, which ate at him incessantly. The guilt that made him analyze each text he’d sent, the one voicemail from Monday night (that one he _really_ regretted; he’d been barely coherent, stuttered apologies between the sobs), the look of utter shock on Kyungsoo’s face that night. He should’ve _known_. He should’ve just confessed and not come up with this convoluted excuse, but now he’d lost Soo. He _knew_ he’d lost Soo, because never once had they gone so long without speaking to each other (the record had been two days when Jongin broke Kyungsoo’s phone back in high school).

And that made his chest ache again. He stopped mid-song, staring at his wrecked reflection, the swollen eyes, face puffy from crying, the redness of his lips and the sweat that weighed down his hair. Well, fuck. He grimaced and turned from the mirrors, taking wide steps to turn off the music because he needed to stop, to leave, to find a place where he didn’t have to look at the effects of this stupid not-break up, where he didn’t have to feel the weight of any of his responsibilities; in truth, there was no place like this, but he decided he would at least be miserable in comfort, so he went back to the dorm.

The heat of the shower helped ease the ache of his back. Between the warmth and the exhaustion and the need to escape his guilt, Jongin fell asleep.

 

He was woken up by his phone vibrating incessantly. Texts from Taemin and Wonsik, and because they were both insufferable they’d each taken turns texting words to Jongin letter by letter. It took Jongin the better part of five minutes (he _was_ still sleepy after all) to decipher that they were inviting him to hang out. He didn’t want to, but he knew he couldn’t say no to them. They were capable of showing up to his dorm, picking the lock, and dragging Jongin out of bed (they’d done it before). So he groaned and whined and kicked his feet before he dragged himself up and got dressed. He would go, but on his terms, slow as hell and grumpy to boot.

They were at the bubble tea place, already sitting at a table when Jongin arrived. Jongin gave them a quick nod (if he didn’t, they would scream until he did), ordered his drink, and sat down without a word, poking the straw though the plastic glumly.

Taemin narrowed his eyes at Jongin.

“So what were you dancing to?” he asked.

Jongin stared at the wall, bringing the straw to his lips.

“Music,” he muttered before he took a sip.

Wonsik’s eyebrows shot up.

“Ooh, okay, that’s what today’s gonna be like, huh?”

Jongin rolled his eyes.

“Alright, lemme guess. Was it Really Really?” Wonsik asked.

Taemin guffawed, slapping Wonsik’s arm.

“No? Hmm, Fireworks, then?”

Jongin chewed on the bubbles, and wondered, not for the last time, why he’d agreed to see them. Taemin was focused on his every gesture, and Wonsik looked far too smug for this to end well.

“Shit, was it bad enough for you to pull out the C4 pedro?” Wonsik asked, propping his elbows on the table.

“Oh no, Jongin, what happened?” Taemin asked.

Jongin snatched his arm out of Taemin’s reach.

“Fuck you both,” he hissed.

“Oh, it was _definitely_ C4 pedro,” said Wonsik. “Come Right Now or Vou Ter Saudades?”

“Can you drop it?” Jongin snarled.

“Can you answer the question?” Wonsik retorted.

“Is it Kyungsoo?” Taemin asked.

Jongin dropped his gaze, dragging his fingers along the condensation on the cup.

“Wow, I think you’re psychic,” Wonsik whispered loudly.

“Was it a break up?”

“No,” said Jongin, glaring at the undisguised curiosity on Taemin’s face. “Well, yes. But it’s not what you think?”

“It is a break?”

“Can I finish?” Jongin snapped.

Wonsik and Taemin exchanged sheepish grins.

“We weren’t in an actual relationship. I asked him to help me out because of those girls who wouldn’t leave me alone, so he agreed to _pretend_ to be my boyfriend,” he finished.

Silence. Too much silence, in fact. It was getting suspicious, the blank looks on their faces.

“You have no right to ever call me stupid again, _ever_ ,” Taemin hissed.

Jongin rolled his eyes. He needed new friends.

“Dude…” Wonsik still looked shocked.

“I thought you’d finally grown the balls to confess and you come with this bullshit?” Taemin screeched. “You mean to tell me I’ve dealt with four months—”

“Three months,” Jongin corrected quietly.

“Whatever, it’s been months of you gushing over him and none of that was _real_?”

“Dude, lower your voice,” Wonsik snickered, patting Taemin’s shoulder.

“I’ll lower my voice when Jongin decides he’s gonna admit he wants to eat Kyungsoo’s ass for dessert every day,” Taemin hissed.

A girl at the table behind them choked on the bubbles and her friends rushed to help, but all of them were trying to stifle their giggles. Yeah, Jongin was _really_ rethinking his friend choice.

“I’m leaving,” said Jongin.

“Wait, man, we just got here,” said Wonsik.

“I’m just not in the mood,” he grumbled, avoiding the hand that reached for him (he didn’t know whose it was, but he didn’t care).

He threw out the cup before he reached the dorm. He had, out of habit, ordered mango tea, Kyungsoo’s favorite, but now he found it overly sweet. It was better when he was tasting it off Kyungsoo’s lips. And _that_ was a bad train of thought to follow, but follow he did (and with a thirst he didn’t realize he could have).

He belly flopped onto his bed, debating whether to do it or not, staring at sliver of light that peeked through the bottom of the shades. He rolled over to sprawl on his back and stared at the discolored spot on the ceiling, willing himself to a glum (but not horny) state. But the memories of kissing Kyungsoo came back, of making out in the booths by the café in the humanities building, the soft slide of Kyungsoo’s tongue against his, the wet suck of their lips when they pulled apart, the nearly inaudible moans that Jongin felt more than he heard (because, when he’d noticed this, he had taken to resting a hand on Kyungsoo’s neck); the timid curl of Kyungsoo’s fingers on his thigh. Then, because he was still reluctant, he tugged at the waistband of his boxers. He even took a peek at himself, then let his head fall back; a mistake, because he was back to falling in the spiral of intimacies with Kyungsoo. He thought of the way Kyungsoo would cling to him when they kissed and as he did that he slipped his fingers under his waistband; but—

But he couldn’t, not while thinking of Kyungsoo. _Especially_ not after losing Kyungsoo. So he fished around the covers for his phone (a bad habit of his; he’d thrown his phone too many times with an erratic shift of the covers) and went to his bookmarked videos (many recommendations from Baekhyun; it was uncanny how spot on his porn recs were, and Jongin wondered, more often than not, if he should be grateful or worried about this). If he had to get this out of his system, he wouldn’t do it by defiling his moments with Kyungsoo.


	9. Part 9

** (AN: this is it.....it's the end of an era....the last chapter of the fake boyfriend theory.... *sniffs and tries not to cry* thank you guys for staying with this till the end, i really appreciate all the love you've given this fic!! again, comment if you loved it, comment if you hated it, but let me know what you thought) **

 

There was a knock on his door. And because Kyungsoo was an idiot, he opened the door without checking who it as. And it was Baekhyun.

“Oh fuck.”

“Oh fuck is right, Do Kyungsoo,” Baekhyun hissed. “Why have you been avoiding us?”

Kyungsoo sputtered a protest when Baekhyun pushed his way into the room, but Baekhyun was already taking off his shoes and shrugging off his jacket. He’d have no choice but to deal with this.

“I haven’t been-” Kyungsoo started weakly.

“Don’t give me that bullshit,” Baekhyun snapped.

Kyungsoo sputtered again. Baekhyun didn’t get angry often; it was always unsettling to see him like this, seething and glaring. When their eyes met, he swore he saw hurt in Baekhyun’s eyes, so he turned to close the door, swallowing hard.

“I’m sorry, hyung,” he said softly.

“I’m sorry isn’t going to cut it,” said Baekhyun, crossing his arms across his chest.

Kyungsoo turned to face him, adjusting his glasses and licking his lips.

“I needed time to myself,” he mumbled, sitting on the edge of his bed.

“Because of the break up?” Baekhyun asked.

“It wasn’t-”

“We’re not doing this anymore, Kyungsoo. You can tell yourself it was fake as much as you want, but you know this was real for you,” said Baekhyun. “And for him.”

Kyungsoo sniffled, shaking his head.

“And that’s no excuse for avoiding your _friends_ ,” Baekhyun continued, hands on hips. “We were worried about you. _I_ was worried about you. I kept thinking you were going to hurt yourself or something, but then I see you hanging out with those other morons after you hadn’t answered my texts for a week and a half-” Baekhyun stopped, sniffling.

Kyungsoo’s heart sank. Perhaps he’d been selfish, in shutting them out. And perhaps he’d been too quick to judge. Baekhyun was a goofball, sure, and sometimes obnoxious, but also a great friend. It was Baekhyun who comforted Kyungsoo, who gave him good advice (usually followed by highly questionable advice, if only to make Kyungsoo laugh). It was Baekhyun who always made sure Kyungsoo had a smile on his face. He sniffled again, standing to face Baekhyun.

“I’m _really_ sorry,” he whispered, hugging him.

Baekhyun returned the hug; they stood for a while in the embrace until Baekhyun squeezed him, giggling at Kyungsoo’s _oof_.

“Don’t _ever_ do that again,” said Baekhyun, smiling when Kyungsoo extricated himself from the hug.

He tweaked Kyungsoo’s nose for good measure, laughing when Kyungsoo huffed.

“So why did you break up with Jongin,” he asked, raising an eyebrow.

Kyungsoo groaned, sitting on the bed again.

“Baekhyun please-”

“Come on, fess up. I need you to be honest with me and with yourself,” said Baekhyun, wagging a finger in Kyungsoo’s face. Kyungsoo swatted his hand away, scowling up at him, his stomach roiling with anxiety again.

“Because three months is enough time,” Kyungsoo said bluntly.

Baekhyun only blinked, sucking his teeth.

“And the real reason is?”

Kyungsoo threw himself onto the bed, avoiding the weight of Baekhyun’s gaze. He stared at the bathroom door, sighing. Right. He’d have to be honest. Baekhyun wouldn’t accept any other answer.

“Because I love him. And because he doesn’t love me back, not that way,” Kyungsoo sighed again. “And because I was getting too caught up in it and I didn’t want to be blindsided the day he decided this was no longer going to be a thing.” His voice cracked and he winced, curling his fist into the comforter.

Baekhyun scoffed, sitting beside him.

“And how do you know he doesn’t love you back that way?” Baekhyun asked, poking Kyungsoo’s stomach when Kyungsoo ignored him.

“Because he would’ve asked me to be his actual boyfriend instead- stop poking me!” Kyungsoo growled, sitting up to shove him.

Baekhyun only giggled, giving him a brilliant smile.

“Or maybe,” he said in a sing song voice, “he’s as much of an idiot as you are and he’s secretly been pining over you for years.”

Kyungsoo gave him a flat look, scowling when Baekhyun gave him a pointed look. His heart did a hopeful little flip, but he tamped it down immediately.

“That sounds stupid,” Kyungsoo said in a small voice.

“Just because it’s stupid doesn’t mean it’s not true,” said Baekhyun. “Wow, I should get that on a shirt.”

Kyungsoo rolled his eyes, throwing himself into the pillows.

“Has he ever told you outright that he likes me?” Kyungsoo asked.

“Yes.”

“Bullshit,” Kyungsoo grumbled; Baekhyun smacked his ass, which made Kyungsoo yelp and turn, fist raised.

“You asked and I answered. _Honestly_ ,” said Baekhyun, “It was freshman year, that halloween you dressed up as a demon with booty shorts and fishnets and fell asleep on Jongin’s bed. He told me he had the biggest crush on you, but he was scared to ask you out because he thought you only saw him as a friend.”

Kyungsoo blushed, remembering how bold he’d been that night (sans alcohol) (he’d gotten Jongin to grope his ass for a bit, and he’d definitely sat on Jongin’s lap once he noticed Jongin’s bulge). That little spark of hope flared again, but he cleared his throat and shook off the memories, hugging a pillow to his chest.

“That was two years ago,” he said pointedly, but he didn’t believe his own dumb excuse (because he still nursed his crush on Jongin, five years later).

“And he told me,” Baekhyun continued, “He’d had a crush on you since sophomore year of high school. So clearly that crush is here to stay.”

“That’s just a kid crush-”

“You still like him,” said Baekhyun. “Besides, didn’t you tell me Jongin was kissing you when you guys were alone. And grabbing your ass. And cuddling. But most importantly kissing.”

Kyungsoo swore under his breath, and not for the first time regretted telling Baekhyun everything.

“So what?”

“Well, _you_ were also initiating some of those kisses, right? Because you wanted to take advantage of this,” said Baekhyun.

Which meant? Which meant Jongin was also kissing him because he _wanted_ to kiss him. Oh. Kyungsoo gulped, hugging the pillow closer.

“Mmm, yeah. Go to his room,” said Baekhyun.

Kyungsoo jumped and gave Baekhyun a bug eyed look, mouth open.

“I-I- what? No!” he squeaked.

“I didn’t say suck his dick, I said go to his room. To _talk_ ,” said Baekhyun. “Although you should probably suck his dick while you’re at it.” He added pensively.

“Absolutely not!” Kyungsoo spluttered, throwing a pillow at Baekhyun, who caught it with a giggle. His heart was racing at the thought of seeing Jongin again.

“Come _on_ , Kyungsoo. Go confess,” Baekhyun said, but Kyungsoo kept shaking his head.

“You can’t make me,” he said softly.

“Oh fine,” said Baekhyun, throwing the pillow back. “I’ll see you later.”

“Wait, you’re leaving?” Kyungsoo asked, scrambling to sit upright.

Baekhyun gave him a knowing smile and winked.

“Do you miss me already?” he asked, fluttering his eyelashes.

“Oh, get out,” Kyungsoo said with a scowl, and threw a pillow at him.

Baekhyun ducked, giggling.

“I’ll see you for dinner,” he chirped, and left.

Dinner? He hadn’t agreed to that…

Kyungsoo groaned. If Baekhyun had already made plans, it meant he would drag Kyungsoo out of his room, whether Kyungsoo was willing to go out or not. Yet, he wasn’t entirely upset, not quite. He _did_ miss Baekhyun and Junmyeon, so with a sigh, he shuffled to the bathroom to get ready.

 

-

 

He should’ve known better. He really, truly, definitely should’ve known better. But there he was, sitting in his frumpy pajamas, rubbing days of sleep off his face with Sehun and Baekhyun on his bed.

“Confess,” said Baekhyun (for the fifth time, not that Jongin was keeping count).

“No,” Jongin snapped.

“Dude, you’ve both been super miserable, and it’s making us miserable,” said Sehun.

Jongin was too tired to roll his eyes, so he settled for giving Sehun an exhausted glare.

“I just _told_ you he likes you,” said Baekhyun. “There’s no room for doubt here. All you have to do is go up to him and say,” and for this Baekhyun grabbed him by the shoulders, “Kyungsoo, love of my life, shining star in my night sky, sweet summer peach ass, let me eat you out for eternity. And then voila, you guys go off to his room and have sweet reconciliatory sex. Or rough reconciliatory sex, I won’t judge.”

Sehun dissolved in giggles, slapping the bed and finally keeling over. Jongin glared at them both, jaw tight.

“And what will he think of me then, huh? I’m going to look like a whole creep for having asked him to pretend to be my boyfriend,” Jongin hissed.

“And that’s because you _are_ ,” said Baekhyun, patting Jongin’s knee. “But that’s _fine_ , because that doesn’t negate the fact that he desperately wants you to nut in his ass as you guys watch a romantic sunset in the Maldives.”

Jongin pushed Baekhyun’s hand off with a snarl.

“I am _not_ going to confess,” he hissed. “Now leave me alone.”

Baekhyun sighed, tugging the blankets off of him. He tried to tug them back, but Sehun joined Baekhyun, both of them gripping the blankets so Jongin wouldn’t take them back.

“Go out for dinner with us,” said Baekhyun.

Jongin paused in his blanket pulling; he didn’t want to go, but his stomach was tired of cup noodles and chips, so it growled before he could refuse.

“Where to?” he asked, eyeing Baekhyun’s proud grin.

“KBBQ,” he chirruped. “Junmyeon’s treat. I promised him-”

“We don’t need to know what you promised him,” Sehun said, closing his eyes and shivering.

Baekhyun pouted, and despite his insistence that he stay angry, Jongin couldn’t help the laughter that bubbled up.

“Okay fine, I won’t tell you, but I know you won’t say no to that,” said Baekhyun, looking back at the smile forming on Jongin’s lips.

“Fine, let me shower,” he grumbled, finally letting go of the blankets.

“Please do,” said Sehun, laughing when Jongin gave him a dirty look.

 

It was early evening now, and they were at the KBBQ place. Baekhyun, Sehun, and Jongin, huddled against the cold as Baekhyun tapped his phone screen madly. At last, the screen lit up, a picture of Junmyeon half naked popping up above the name *~myeonnie baby~*.

“Oh gross, I could’ve lived without seeing that,” Sehun groaned.

Baekhyun stuck his tongue out at him and picked up.

“Hey guys,” Chanyeol’s deep voice boomed from behind them.

“Don’t scare me like that,” Jongin hissed, glaring at Chanyeol, but Chanyeol only rolled his eyes and gave Sehun a kiss. “I didn’t realize you’d be here too.”

“Ouch,” said Chanyeol, hand on his chest. “You thought I’d miss out on _this_? No fuckin way.”

“Didn’t realize you were a bbq enthusiast now,” Jongin grumbled.

Chanyeol gave him a cryptic smile and shared a knowing look with Sehun, both of them giggling. Jongin gave them a confused look, but…well… they _were_ kind of odd, so he didn’t question it. Not much.

“He’s already inside,” said Baekhyun, pulling them in. The warmth of the restaurant was a welcome relief, and Jongin sighed, pulling off his hat.

“Oh you actually came,” Junmyeon cheered, getting up to hug him.

Jongin returned the hug, ready to smile, but then-

Oh.

Fuck.

Kyungsoo was behind Junmyeon, as shocked as Jongin was, doe eyed and unblinking.

“I-I- need to go,” Kyungsoo stuttered, and turned to bolt.

 

-

 

 

But he couldn’t leave. Sehun and Chanyeol blocked his way, and when he turned to go around the other way, Baekhyun grabbed him by the hoodie.

“I am _not_ staying Baekhyun. I can’t believe you did this,” Kyungsoo screeched. “I fucking hate you-”

“Kyungsoo!” Junmyeon snapped. “Relax. We’re here to have a good time. To eat. To hang out with friends. Now sit.”

Kyungsoo swallowed hard, looking from Sehun (impassive) to Chanyeol (mildly worried) to Baekhyun (unreadable, strangely) to Junmyeon (who was using his intimidating look) to Jongin. Jongin, who was still in shock, his eyes beautiful but sad, his lips ever so slightly parted. Kyungsoo sniffled and tore his eyes away, crawling into the corner of the booth.

“Thank you,” Junmyeon said curtly, waving at Baekhyun to slide in next.

On the other side, Chanyeol herded Jongin into the other corner. Great, now Kyungsoo was sitting directly across from Jongin, who wouldn’t stop staring at him. He hid behind the menu, not bothering to look at the food.

“Do you want pork? I want pork,” Baekhyun asked him, unfazed.

Kyungsoo only swallowed hard.

“Dude,” said Baekhyun, knocking the menu over.

Kyungsoo squeaked, blushing when he realized Jongin was looking at him. But…now Kyungsoo was angry. The puppy-eyed look Jongin was giving him, so full of remorse, made him irrationally, stupidly angry. So he glared at Jongin, a nasty look that made Jongin’s eyes widen and get glossy. His heart constricted when Jongin ducked his head, biting his lip, but it was too late. At least now Kyungsoo could pick his food in peace. Baekhyun leaned closer.

“Don’t take it out on him. He’s just as upset as you are,” he whispered.

Kyungsoo glared at him too, but Baekhyun remained stoic until Kyungsoo had no choice but to relent, looking back at the menu.

“Besides, this is supposed to be for you to cheer up,” he said, nudging Kyungsoo’s elbow.

“Yeah, whatever,” Kyungsoo grumbled.

They ordered after fifteen minutes (because Baekhyun and Sehun and Chanyeol started bickering over what kind of meat to order), and then it was rowdiness. Baekhyun and Chanyeol were loud enough on their own, but putting them in the same room with Sehun to stoke the flames…always a bad idea. Kyungsoo covered his right ear (he wasn’t about to go half deaf just because of Baekhyun’s antics) and sighed. He supposed he should be trying to enjoy them and their stupid jokes, but he couldn’t shake off the gloom. And to make matters worse, Jongin kept looking at him, quick peeks followed by shyly hiding his face, and Kyungsoo was tired of it.

“H-how have you been?” Jongin’s timid voice was almost lost in Chanyeol and Sehun’s bickering, but Kyungsoo still caught it and gave him a confused look. Baekhyun, somehow attuned to everything at once, looked at them both with a smile before he launched into roasting Chanyeol.

“Okay,” said Kyungsoo, flattening the napkin.

Jongin’s shoulders slumped. Kyungsoo was tempted to leave it at that, since he knew Jongin wouldn’t push it, but guilt soured his stomach.

“How about you?” he asked.

Surprise lit up Jongin’s face, followed by a warm flush across his cheeks and the slightest hint of a smile tugging at his lips.

“Um, okay, mostly. Very tired, but that’s not-” he paused, fiddling with the chopsticks, “that’s not exactly new.”

He finished with a shy chuckle. Kyungsoo nodded slightly, fixing his own chopsticks.

“I’ve missed you.”

Kyungsoo froze, his heart frantic. Jongin was fretting, no doubt because he’d seen the stunned look on Kyungsoo’s face.

“I’m sorry, I shouldn’t have said that-”

“I’ve missed you too,” Kyungsoo rushed, because the crack in Jongin’s voice made his heart bruise, and because if he waited for Jongin to finish he would’ve lost his confidence.

It was Jongin’s turn to look stunned until he started to glow, his face lighting up. He smiled, eyes glittering.

“I-” he started, but was abruptly cut off by the waiter, who brought plates piled with meat, onions, garlic, mushrooms, dipping sauces, and rice.

“Oh bless, I’m fucking starving,” Baekhyun groaned, patting his stomach.

The sizzle of meat filled the air, and soon everyone was just watching, open-mouthed, as the meat cooked.

“Flip it-”

“Not yet, you moron, it’s not done.”

“Yes it is- ow, don’t slap my hand!”

“Okay stop,” Junmyeon hissed. “Kyungsoo and I are the only ones allowed to flip the meat, got it?”

Chanyeol and Baekhyun grumbled but quieted. Sehun munched on a lettuce leaf absentmindedly, while Jongin sucked on his spoon in anticipation. Kyungsoo almost cooed. He looked cute with his bear-ear hat, spoon in mouth, eyes glittering as he watched Junmyeon flip the mushroom slice. They all wow-ed at the grill marks, leaning closer. It was almost comical, and Junmyeon rolled his eyes, flipping the beef. Kyungsoo spurred into action then, flipping the pieces of pork; he nearly dropped the chopsticks when Baekhyun and Chanyeol and Sehun leaned closer, giggling at the stupefied looks on their faces.

But at last, the meat was done. Junmyeon and Kyungsoo cut and served, and the spell of silence was broken. Baekhyun and Chanyeol fought over the pickled garlic, while Sehun whined at Junmyeon for taking the lettuce wraps away. Kyungsoo nibbled on a piece of beef, pausing when he realized Jongin had stuffed four pieces into his mouth, cheeks bulging.

“You’re going to get a stomachache,” said Kyungsoo.

Jongin blinked and tried to smile sheepishly, but his mouth was too full, so he settled for bowing his head, eyes downcast. Kyungsoo shook his head, finally sinking his teeth into the meat.

They ate. And ate. And ate. Kyungsoo groaned, leaning back and sighing.

“Same,” said Baekhyun, flopping onto Junmyeon, who chuckled.

“I’m too full,” Jongin whined, and Kyungsoo fluttered his eyes open to look at Jongin’s magnificent pout (so cute, his heart screamed, so damn cute).

“We should drink some tea,” Kyungsoo said groggily.

“Bubble tea?” Sehun asked, perking up at this.

“No, Sehunnie, regular green tea,” said Kyungsoo, chuckling when Sehun crumpled against Chanyeol.

“That’s not fun,” Sehun grumbled.

“But it’s healthy!” said Junmyeon, effervescent as ever. “Green tea has so many health benefits-”

“Junmyeonnie,” Baekhyun sighed. “I love you but I’m gonna stop you right there.”

Junmyeon slumped, pouting until Baekhyun kissed the pout away. Sehun gagged, grinning when Junmyeon tried to give him a dirty look. Kyungsoo hid his giggle behind his hand, blushing more when he realized Jongin was looking at him. He almost reached out to Jongin, but groped blindly for the water instead. Right. They weren’t together, so he didn’t have to play the lovey-dovey boyfriend anymore. Except Jongin was giving him a very lovey-dovey look, his eyes soft and warm and filled to the brim with affection. It made Kyungsoo’s too full stomach gurgle. He sipped his water, ears burning when the water missed his mouth and went down his chin. He heard Jongin’s giggle, but was too engrossed trying to find a clean napkin to realize Jongin was offering him one. He squeaked, freezing when Jongin patted his chin dry with a napkin.

“The water’s supposed to go inside if you want to get hydrated, hyung,” Jongin teased, and Kyungsoo spluttered, hiding his face.

“Tea time,” Baekhyun sang, interrupting the moment (which Kyungsoo was secretly glad for; the tension between them was thick enough to slice with Kyungsoo’s favorite knife).

“Ugh, yeah, these booths are too fuckin small,” Chanyeol groaned, stretching when he got up.

“Come, my little chickies,” Junmyeon cooed, squawking when Sehun and Chanyeol both poked him. “Ack! Okay stop! We’re leaving!”

At the exit, Jongin held the door. Kyungsoo tried to squeeze through, but naturally, he stumbled, falling right into Jongin’s arms.

“Are you sure that wasn’t soju in your cup?” Jongin asked with a shy giggle.

Kyungsoo extricated himself from Jongin’s arms (though he really _really_ missed the warmth instantly) and guffawed.

“Let’s go, they’re gonna leave us behind,” he murmured, jogging to catch up with the others.

 

-

 

At Osulloc, Jongin sat beside Kyungsoo. He was nervous, despite the fact that Kyungsoo had relaxed considerably since the bbq place. Kyungsoo was cradling a mug of green tea, blowing the steam lazily, and Jongin couldn’t take his eyes off the soft pout of Kyungsoo’s lips. And then his heart ached, because he missed kissing Kyungsoo, and cuddling him close. He looked away, blowing on his own mug of tea.

“I said regular tea, not milk tea,” said Kyungsoo, once Sehun and Chanyeol made their way over.

“But it’s so good,” Sehun whimpered.

“It’s not good later,” Chanyeol grumbled, but said nothing else when Sehun glared at him.

Jongin hid behind his mug of tea, watching Kyungsoo through the steam. He was shy again, watching Kyungsoo’s pink tongue lick stray droplets of tea from plush lips (and how he wanted to feel that tongue against his again, but he stopped himself before his thoughts got the better of him). Baekhyun and Junmyeon arrived with two trays of bingsu and steaming cups of tea.

“Oh fuck yeah,” Sehun said breathlessly, fists curled as he watched Junmyeon put a tray down.

“You have no right to complain about getting the shits tomorrow, you hear me?” Chanyeol said through gritted teeth.

Sehun waved him off.

“He can still blow you if you’re that desperate,” Baekhyun said smugly.

Chanyeol glared at him, snatching a spoon from Baekhyun’s hand.

“Here you go,” Junmyeon chirped, pushing a tray of bingsu between Jongin and Kyungsoo.

Kyungsoo squawked in protest, pushing it back.

“The whole point of the tea was to help our stomachs, this defeats the purpose,” he squeaked.

“You never say no to sweet things, Kyungsoo,” Junmyeon said, a knowing look on his face.

“That’s why he never says no to Jongin,” Chanyeol and Baekhyun said, staring at each other in shock before whooping.

“Great minds,” said Chanyeol, holding out a hand for Baekhyun to high five.

Kyungsoo only growled, pulling the tray back and stabbing a spoon into the bingsu. Jongin followed suit, scooping honeycomb crumble onto his spoon before he ate. A blush formed on his cheeks, remembering the taste of bingsu and tangerine milk tea on Kyungsoo’s tongue the night they went on the date. Sweet and smooth, but hot and wet, the slide of Kyungsoo’s tongue and the softness of his lips- Jongin shuddered, willing himself to focus on the bingsu before he got a hard on. He caught Baekhyun’s eye, and fuck, he was blushing now. Baekhyun had a terrible smirk, wiggling his eyebrows and looking at Kyungsoo before he looked back at Jongin. And because he was Baekhyun, and Baekhyun was terrible, he slipped the spoon in his mouth and started to suck, slow and obscene, while Jongin seethed. He popped off the spoon with a slurp, laughing at Jongin’s frown, but Jongin was back to the bingsu, face warm from the steam of his tea.

The rest of dessert was uneventful, until they reached the bottom of the bowl. The bingsu was soupy, and Kyungsoo had been steadily feeding himself spoonfuls of it, but a milky bead shone on his bottom lip. Jongin, without thinking, reached out to wipe it off. Kyungsoo froze, mouth open for the next spoonful. Jongin jerked his hand back, drying his thumb on his pants.

“Sorry,” he murmured.

Kyungsoo licked his lips, tongue lingering over the spot where Jongin touched him, but said nothing, letting the spoon fall into the bowl.

“Are you done?” Junmyeon asked, eyes twinkling.

“Yeah,” Kyungsoo said softly.

“Oh good, we can head back then,” he chirped, taking their tray.

 

 

The walk to the dorms was slow; the night was warm for a winter night, a sure sign of an early spring. Jongin took a deep breath and slowed his pace, matching Kyungsoo’s steps. Baekhyun looked back at them, but he only smiled before trying to tackle hug Junmyeon.

“Hi,” Jongin said softly.

Kyungsoo, as if finally noticing they were together, somewhat alone, jumped. His startled eyes were wide, glancing from Jongin to the others, who were several feet in front of them.

“Oh.”

“Can we talk?” Jongin asked.

Kyungsoo winced, looking back down at his feet.

“I don’t want to,” he said softly. Jongin tried to soothe his heart, but the hurt still pierced it. “But we have to, I guess.”

Jongin sighed, relieved.

“Okay. Okay, that’s- okay,” Jongin took a deep breath. They were nearly at his building now, and the others were waiting by the entrance.

“This is where we leave you,” said Chanyeol, grinning.

“Remember kiddies, use plenty of lube, and don’t be afraid to be kinky-”

“That’s just you, Baekhyun,” Sehun sniffed.

“Aren’t you ‘sposed to tell them to use a condom?” Junmyeon asked.

“Why would I give advice I don’t follow? We always fuck bareback-”

“Okay, good night!” Sehun shouted, throwing his arms around Jongin, then Kyungsoo, before pulling a sputtering Baekhyun away.

“I expect a full report tomorrow!” Baekhyun hollered, screaming when Chanyeol and Junmyeon both smacked his ass.

“They’re so embarrassing,” Kyungsoo groaned.

Jongin chuckled, biting his lip.

“Want to come inside?” Jongin asked.

Kyungsoo hesitated, but nodded, ducking under Jongin’s arm when Jongin held the door open.

“My room is a little messy right now, sorry,” Jongin said, offering a sheepish smile.

Kyungsoo only shook his head, stepping into the elevator and pressing the third floor button.

“I mean, it’s nothing terrible. Not like, month old pizza slices under the bed or anything like that, but y’know-”

“It’s _fine_ , Jongin,” said Kyungsoo, eyes trained on the buttons.

Jongin shifted his weight, fiddling with the zipper of his jacket when the elevator finally dinged. The doors opened, and both of them stayed.

“After you,” said Jongin, hand stretched out to stop the doors from closing.

“After y- oh fine,” Kyungsoo giggled, stepping out.

Jongin walked them down the hall, fumbling with the room card and dropping it. They both bent to pick it up, foreheads bumping.

“Ow.”  
“I’m so sorry,” Jongin gasped, reaching out to soothe Kyungsoo’s forehead, but Kyungsoo waved him off.

So he picked up the key card and stepped in, waiting for Kyungsoo to take off his shoes before he did the same. With a blush, he rushed to throw some of his clothes in the hamper and smoothed the bedsheets as best he could. Kyungsoo sat on the desk chair, staring at the lamp on Jongin’s bedside table as Jongin finished stuffing papers into a folder. At last, Jongin sat on the bed. Silence followed, excruciating seconds in which a film of sweat gathered on his forehead. But he couldn’t avoid this, not after tonight. And not when Kyungsoo was sitting two feet away from him, pensive and quiet and also kind of a wreck.

“Kyungsoo, I-” Jongin paused, wincing. Kyungsoo was looking at him now, and the expectation in his eyes made Jongin’s stomach churn.

“Yes?”

Jongin swallowed hard and looked away.

“I have something to tell you,” he said softly, trying to keep his face even when he heard Kyungsoo exhale.

“Yes?”

Jongin took a deep breath, leaned forward to grab the desk chair, and pulled Kyungsoo closer. He took Kyungsoo’s hands in his, licking his lips.

“I love you,” he said, waiting for only a second before he continued (Kyungsoo had gasped, lips parted, and Jongin wanted to kiss him right that second, but he also wanted the earth to swallow him). “ I’ve loved you for years now, and not just as a friend. When I suggested the whole fake boyfriend thing, I did it because I was too afraid to actually ask you out. I mean, I did it because those girls were annoying me too, but it was also kind of an excuse to be with you. And that’s why I got carried away, and I’m so sorry about that, Kyungsoo. I shouldn’t have asked you to do this, I should’ve asked you to date me properly- even if you said no! And I know you would have said no because we’re just friends but I should’ve been honest, and I’m sorry-”

“Jongin-”

“Please let me finish, Kyungsoo,” Jongin rushed, “I was afraid I’d lose you as a friend if I asked you out, but then when you asked to stop I realized I was going to lose you anyway and-”

“ _Jongin_ ,” Kyungsoo insisted, and Jongin stopped, swallowing hard. “Why would I say no to dating you?”

And in that moment, Jongin thought his heart was going to burst.

“W-well, because we’re…just friends,” he said timidly.

“But I love you too,” said Kyungsoo, cheeks pink and crescent eyed.

“You-” Jongin trailed off, jaw hanging.

“And _I_ wanted to break the whole fake boyfriend thing off because it hurt. Because I really wanted you to be my _actual_ boyfriend. Pretending was only making me fall harder for you and I was just trying to protect myself from the inevitable heartbreak when you decided that you no longer needed me,” said Kyungsoo, squirming adorably.

“We’re both fucking idiots,” Jongin said breathlessly.

Kyungsoo laughed, hiding his face behind his hands.

“Yeah, we kind of are,” he said.

Jongin pulled Kyungsoo closer, smiling when Kyungsoo squawked, before he kissed Kyungsoo, soft and sweet.

“Will you be my actual boyfriend, Do Kyungsoo?” Jongin asked.

Kyungsoo’s breath hitched (and Jongin’s heart soared because _he_ was the one taking Kyungsoo’s breath away) and he smiled, cupping Jongin’s face in his hands.

“Gladly, Kim Jongin,” he said breathily, pulling Jongin closer for a deep, hot, messy kiss.


End file.
